Here is the latest news from Elmfield House in our monthly newsletter:
PDF version click here: October 2017 newsletter
Recent events:
Another month has been and gone…… October was another month with lots going on at Elmfield House.
We attended the ‘Strictly come dancing’ tea afternoon at HG Wells which was thoroughly enjoyed by all! Vera, Jan, Iris and Freda all got up to dance which was lovely to see.
Those who didn’t dance enjoyed listening to the music within the dance hall and joined in with the chair based dancing.
Tea and cream cakes went down a treat!
It was a fun- filled afternoon provoking memories of days gone by.
The next tea dance is a Christmas special in December.
We had our usual pub lunches fortnightly which are still popular with the residents. The landlord and locals continue to welcome us and we have been very lucky with the weather.
Tina has been doing her monthly performance for us from ‘High Kicks and Heels’ which is definitely a firm favourite within the home. She really does a great show full of energy with songs from each decade from the 1940’s onwards. She dresses the part in a red dress, gloves and umbrella and sings and dances.
Bailey our PAT dog continues to visit every other Friday which the residents love. He enjoys being petted and stroked. One or two residents were told off by his owner for feeding him biscuits.
We had a Halloween themed buffet for Halloween. There were spider table cloths, ghost and pumpkin decorative bunting, eye ball cream cakes, ghost gingerbreads. residents painted and colored Halloween themed pictures and a Halloween quiz was also done.
The Pastoral assistants from Bisley Church have continued to come to the home to do their monthly prayer meetings and to give communion. There are several residents and relatives who attend this.
Upcoming events:
During November we have our usual events planned.
In addition; we will be attending the annual Bonfire and fireworks display on Bisley Green. This is organised by the Scouts and over the past few years have become a very popular event within the local community. We are hoping it will be dry so that we can continue our tradition of going to the display.
On Remembrance Sunday there will be the usual service at the Cenotaph on the green. This is usually well- attended by the local community and our residents usually go across for the service. This is usually very emotional and as expected brings back memories of the war for some residents, some of which are not very pleasant memories. In the week leading up to Remembrance Day we will be doing some war themed activities including sharing experiences, reading poetry, listening to wartime songs and discussing the origin of the Poppy.
The next resident and relatives meeting will be held in November. This will be held in the dining room at Elmfield House on Thursday 16th November at 3pm.
All are welcome and there will be light refreshments provided.
Staff and resident changes:
We have welcomed to the team some new faces this month.
We have had Jade Gunn working with us the last few weeks. She has been employed as a bank carer to cover both day and night shifts.
We also welcome Sheila Whyborn who will be the weekend laundry assistant as well helping out caring when needed.
We also welcome back Rumana Rehman who used to work at Elmfield and left a year ago to work closer to home. However she missed working here and has now re-joined us as a bank carer and has been working some night shifts. Welcome back!
With a heavy heart we are very sad to announce that in October we sadly lost two of our residents who both passed away peacefully within the home.
Marise Irving and Audrey Chaplin are no longer with us.
Our deepest sympathies and support were expressed to the families of both residents and they are missed very much.
We welcomed Colin Chaldecott to the home. He had been on our waiting list for Elmfield for several months. Colin is a local man with close connections to Bisley which he is keen to share with others. He has settled in extremely well and he is enjoying life at Elmfield.
Birthdays.
We have celebrated two birthdays in October. On 21st October Dorothy Snowden celebrated her 89th birthday. She had visits form her family.
On the 26th October Pam Mulvaney turned 87 years old and she spent part of the day with her family.
Many happy returns to the both of you!
Other news:
The new bathroom has finally been completed. We are just awaiting erection of hand rails so that it will be safe to use.
Staff have successfully been using the electronical care plans to eliminate most of the paper-based documents. This transition has been smoother than anticipated thankfully! There have only been an occasional mishaps.