Glebe House Care Home
At Bristol Care Homes we understand the value of developing positive working relationships with our staff in order to provide high-standard care.
Management and staff from Glebe House participated in an amazing team-building activity that promoted learning, communication, engagement, bonding and teamwork.
Deputy Manager Nathan describes the fantastic day:
Glebe’s band of intrepid colleagues took to the waters of the River Wye for a day of canoeing, wildlife spotting and a lesson on the rules of engagement. Spoiler alert: We all survived!
The day began with high spirits and sunny skies, as we gathered by the riverbank. Life jackets were donned, paddles were distributed, and we were ready to conquer the mighty Wye.
The advice to try and remain dry and not swallow any of the river water lasted all of four minutes with an unprovoked attack on one of the vessels.
Whilst canoes one and two practised their aquatic manoeuvres, canoe three remained a speck on the horizon trying to distinguish which end of their paddle was meant to go in the water.
As we navigated the bottled green waters, it became apparent that proficient clinical skills didn’t always translate to the waterways. Communication, famously a pivotal within healthcare, took on a new level of despair as heckles of, “paddle on the left, not you, you’re on the right” and “has anyone seen my paddle” echoed along the river.
We watched with glee as one side of the boat paddled forward and the other paddled backwards; realising this at the same time they both changed, not fixing the problem but instead just rotating the issue by 90 degrees. This healthy level of chaos was accompanied by one of the canoes managing to hit the only other boat on the 35m wide river, quite the spectacle.
The natural beauty of the meandering Wye was truly breathtaking. So as not to miss anything, some of the canoes took more of an ‘expressive’ zigzag approach covering as much ground as possible. As the birds chirped and the salmon performed acrobatics by the side of our boats, we all took a deep breath and reflected on how grateful we were to be out on the water with our colleagues – our friends.
A pub lunch provided an opportunity for a rapid drying-out session and discussions around the most effective way each canoe could best sink the other. Feeling refreshed and with morale high, we paddled back onto the battlefield. In no time at all, the surface of the water was being struck by numerous paddles projecting spray high into the air.
As the day drew to a close and we pulled our boats ashore and we all thought we’d got away with not falling in, one of the canoes decided it now identified as a submarine plummeting its occupants into the water. We were a soggy, exhausted, but an incredibly happy bunch.
Thank you Bristol Care Homes for allowing us this wonderful opportunity.
Quarry House
A busy month at Quarry House and supervisions has been an area we have been focussing on.
Sarah and Mihaela attended the Leadership and Conflict Management Course provided by Bristol Care Homes.
The feedback they provided was how beneficial they found the training and would recommend others to attend if the opportunity arises.
Penny Wood – Reminder that she is completing a sponsored walk on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Society on 21st July and any sponsors are greatly welcomed.
Singing for the Brain – Marcia and Shelley have completed all the modules for Singing for the Brain and are now affiliated partners with the Alzheimer’s Society and will be implementing the singing for the Brian sessions starting in September.
Research suggests that singing for the brain sessions can improve social inclusiveness and relationships, memory and mood were found to be especially important to participants. As well as enjoying the sessions, participants find that attending Singing for the Brain helped in accepting and coping with dementia. (Dementia London 2016)
Field House
We held a successful garden party on 6th July 2024 – thank you to everyone who made this possible.
We welcome to our Field House team:
- Tracy, our activities staff member will support Jermery in providing quality social engagement for our residents.
- Finbar who joins our catering staff.
- Junae who joined our catering staff.
- Aisha who joined our care team.
- Fartun who joined our care team.
- Joy who joined our care team.
Congratulations to:
- Brenda who completed her care certificate.
- Jeethu who completed her care certificate.
Beech House
Gerald was happy to meet Bristol Care Homes’s Marketing Manager, Alexandra, and thrilled that Beech House Deputy Manager Kerry popped in to thank him for hosting the afternoon.
We sang happy birthday to Gill and presented her with a birthday cake. Everyone agreed that music brings people together, evokes memories and it makes you smile.
Gerald wanted to dedicate the afternoon to his dear friend Sharon and honoured her memory by playing one of her vinyl records ‘The Streets of London’. Gerald, you are the best DJ ever, thank you.
On another day, Beech House staff made waffles with a small group of residents, and they chose the toppings they wanted.
The majority chose chocolate and strawberries. After everyone had their waffles, each resident took a spoon covered in chocolate and licked it.
They all laughed and chuckled together as Brenda managed to get chocolate up by her eye. It was such a lovely afternoon.
We brought as many residents as we could to the conservatory this week when Justin came in with his guitar. He played rock and roll, Abba, and other songs, to which the residents sang along and applauded.
Sheila got up and started dancing, and she even went over to dance with Marion, who was in her wheelchair and held her hands.
The residents commented on how wonderful it was.
Review Of The Month – Field House
My Mum went to Field House for an assessment after surgery following a bad fall. She had always been independent and was uncertain how she would cope in a nursing environment.
The staff from the carers to the laundry ladies were so kind that Mum felt at home almost immediately. Nothing was too much trouble.
The food was very good (especially the puddings) and everything was cooked on the premises.
I would like to thank everyone for their kindness. I would have no hesitation in recommending Field House.
C C (Daughter of Resident)
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