Providing meaningful activities for our elderly residents
Our residents’ ongoing health and wellbeing is extremely important to us and we recognise that keeping active, both mentally and physically, whilst maintaining a sense of purpose and meaning are key to individuals’ happiness, contentment and joy.
In partnership with our residents and those closest to them, our dedicated lifestyle team develops a varied programme of meaningful activities, events and celebrations which are personalised to individuals’ likes, dislikes, abilities and care needs as well as aspirations and dreams for the future.
This can range from joining our groups including book club, sewing and knitting club cinema club and swimming club, which takes place at the local Mann Green Country Park. We hold regular pamper sessions and exercise classes within our home including Zumba, dancing, yoga and Thai Chi.
There are always games on the go for our residents to take part in, whether it’s carpet boules, musical bingo or a quiz. We also arrange for a variety of entertainers to visit Brooklands including singers, magicians, impressionists, therapy animals, ballroom dancers and belly dancers – safe to say, there is never a dull moment here!
Our whole team supports our residents to rekindle interests and hobbies, whilst also gently encouraging them to try new things they might enjoy, either as part of a group of friends, on a 1-2-1 basis and in their own room, if they prefer.
Maintaining an active body and mind
Regular opportunities to exercise bring fun and laughter, whilst giving everyone the opportunity to stay as active as they’re personally able to. For some, that may be through seated exercises from the comfort of their own chair and movement to music classes whilst, for others, it’s tending to our beautiful gardens in the great outdoors or doing a spot of flower arranging.
To keep our minds and bodies active we take our residents on regular day trips, whether it’s a visit to the museum, tea in the local garden centre or a simple trip to the shops, we make sure your loved ones stay connected to the community. The Sandringham Flower Show is often a favourite and we love our excursions to the Yarmouth sea front. With so much to do in Norfolk, from a solar panelled boat ride down Whitlingham lake to a simple afternoon feeding the ducks, we make sure we accommodate all our residents needs and mobility at Brooklands.
Food for the soul
For those of us who relish the quiet times, we have a variety of cosy corners and comfy quiet areas to sit and watch the world go by, read the paper or work on a knitting or needlework project.
There is also Brookland’s homely bar which is a hub of activity for residents and their families and friends sit and enjoy each other’s company, chatting over a drink, and a selection of homemade sandwiches, delicious cakes and sweet treats – all lovingly handmade and baked by our talented in-house catering team.
A life full of meaning and purpose
Our residents’ are amazing and their talents never cease to amaze us! Alongside our organised activities, we also provide a variety of opportunities to bring meaning to people’s lives, whilst nurturing their existing talents and experience and learning from others along the way.
Whether it’s a resident with a particular flair for art, baking, dancing, music, homemaking or DIY, we all enjoy learning from each other and sharing our knowledge. We also strive to make the unexpected happen, whether that’s enabling a resident to re-visit their beloved home football team after many years’ absence or ski again, like they did in their youth, we love the challenge of making wishes come true!
At the heart of our local community
We recognise, for many of our residents, remaining an active and valued part of their local community is very important to them so we regularly invite groups and entertainers into the home to spend time with us.
Visitors are also welcome to come and take part in celebrations, open days and themed events as well as our various activities including pet therapy with dogs Islay and Dottie or even miniature donkeys!
We are also proud to have links with three local schools whose children regularly visit our residents creating heart-warming intergenerational links that are beneficial to all.
Getting out and about into the community, as well as further afield, is also a highlight of ours as we take in trips to a variety of attractions such as garden centres, pubs for lunch, seaside trips and places of interest in our minibus.