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Recent events:
Winter is fast approaching with these frosty and cold mornings and yet another month has flown by!
We have had lots going on this month.
On 2nd October we attended the tea dance at HG Wells which was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. It was a great atmosphere and very well attended. Nearly all of our residents joined in with the chair- based dances. We also had a few of our residents getting up to dance on the dance floor with staff, each other and in Jan’s case dancing with partners from another care home!
On 15th October we had Tina from High Kicks at Elmfield to do her monthly cabaret show. As always, this was very interactive and residents could be heard singing along from all parts of the home.
We have only had one pub lunch this month due to the cook at the pub being on holiday. These will re-start properly in November weather permitting of course.
The visiting library came on the 18th October to exchange books and talking books which we have recently been loaned.
Caroline and her beloved PAT dog Bailey continue to visit each fortnight which is highly anticipated. Our residents love animals and Bailey is ever so friendly.
Emily our teenaged volunteer has been coming on a Wednesday afternoon to spend a couple of hours with our residents doing activities and getting to know them. She does all-sorts including games, reminiscing, exercises and manicures.
We have had our Halloween Party on 31st October with a wonderful disco by Danny and a gruesome buffet prepared by Dawn and Niccii.
Danny played some fantastic songs which were guaranteed to get everyone up and dancing! The disco was a great success and everyone had a great time. Thank you to everyone who came to join in the festive fun at our party.
Rikki the chiropodist and Nicky our hairdresser have both been in to attend to our resident’s podiatory and hairdressing needs.
We have had lots of Halloween based activities going on such as coloring, quizzes, movies, cake decorating and ghost discussions which was very interesting listening to our resident’s supernatural experiences!
Upcoming events:
It is nearly time for the annual Bonfire and firework display organised by Bisley Scouts held on the green opposite the home. Hopefully, the weather will be dry so that we can go across there and enjoy the spectacle. In past years it has been very busy and the firework display is fantastic! Niccii is unable to take residents this year as she will be away, however it is hoped that other staff will take her place and escort our residents.
I am delighted to announce that the school children will be back at Elmfield once a week early November upon return from half term. It will be year 3 children taking part in the ‘Learning beyond the classroom’ partnership. Our residents are really excited to having the school children back with us every Wednesday afternoon.
We are awaiting a date for the serving Soldiers from Pirbright to come to us around Remembrance Day to have coffee and cake with our residents and share experiences of war times and conflict.
We have had the pleasure of their company the last few years and it is always a wonderful occasion.
Staff and resident changes:
We have not had any changes to our staffing team this month or to our resident group.
Birthdays:
We celebrated Dorothy Snowden’s 91st birthday on 21st. She was visited by her family and had a special trifle cake. Everyone made a fuss of Dorothy on her special day!
Pamela Mulvaney also celebrated a birthday on 26th. She turned 89 years old and went out for afternoon tea with both her daughters which Pam was thrilled about, it was just a shame that the weather was awful.
Other news:
Most residents chose to have their annual flu vaccination which was administered by Mike from the surgery earlier this month.
All of our residents have had their annual medication reviews. Changes will be implemented in the next medication cycle in three after authorisation from their individual GP’s.
Staff have been busy with training this month: external fire warden, manual handling and basic emergency aid training has taken place. In-house emergency situation training and medication training has also been going on.
Employee of the month:
Employee of the month for October has been awarded to Julie Pullen for almost completing her Diploma level 2 in health and social care. Julie has also completed all of her 23 Redcrier courses as well as a level 2 NCFE distance learning course in dementia: all of this around working full- time and family commitments.
Julie is consistently good at promoting teamwork often helping her colleagues from other departments.
Keep up the good work!