Happy Christmas 2018

We would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas.  Christmas for many is a magical time.  Christmas carols, gift exchanges and family feasts are just some of the enduring traditions that make the season one of the world’s favourite holidays.  It’s a time to reflect on happy memories of family gatherings, and festive cheer.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank each of our staff for their continued dedication to providing outstanding care and ensuring our homes run well.  All of them will be juggling their own celebrations with their work and we thank them for this.

Whilst Christmas for most is a magical time it is also a time to reflect on life as it was, perhaps remembering those that are no longer with us or families that we cannot visit due to distance or other circumstances.  It is a time to think about those less fortunate than ourselves.

All of us at Peninsula Care Homes would like to wish our residents, their families and our staff a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Technology in our homes

Technology has now become a part of our everyday lives and is providing many great opportunities in the care home environment.

In most care homes and nursing homes you will find residents or staff using tablets or phones to play music or videos for residents. They may even be used to play games such as solitaire, chess or puzzles. You may also hear ‘Alexa’ taking commands to play certain playlists or ask questions during a quiz. Here is an article we found useful https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2018/10/18/talking-alexa-assistive-technology-can-help-adult-social-care-services/

The world nowadays is much more interactive and we are excited to be introducing a range of technology into our homes. So far Bramble Down residents enjoy iPad club and the Echo Dot Quiz time, so we would like to carry this trend across the PCH group.

We currently have an iPad for each home to use with a Google Chromecast which will enable staff to show residents their favourite movies,videos or music playlists. It will also be used for more interactive quizzes and games with images and video. We have also started to introduce the Amazon Echo which voices ‘Alexa’ to become a host to a range of activities.

Some of the requests Bramble Down residents have been asking Alexa to play include: Joyce Grenfell, Victor Sylvester, Frank Crumit, Harry Secombe, The Goons and Edmond Hockridge. We know one resident at Bramble Down has put an Echo Dot on his Christmas list!

We hope our staff will find the new technology useful,helpful and beneficial for activities with residents. We would like to encourage residents, families and friends to join in use of the iPads, Chrome Casts and Amazon Echo’s. We would also welcome your best troubleshooting tech tips on the use of the new tech, as most of us know it’s great until it needs an update!

We look forward to seeing the outcome the new gadgets provide in the homes.

Our Top 10 Present Ideas 2018

We have asked each home to tell us the top ten presents they would suggest for residents this Christmas. They were actually nearly all the same so here they are in no particular order:

1. Technology as suitable (Echo Dot, tablet)
2. Slippers and/or shoes
3. Sweets and/or chocolate
4. Jumper or cardigan
5. Create resident own playlist of favourite music
6. Favourite tipple
7. Photoframe
8. Calendar
9. Plant – amaryllis are popular
10. Hairdresser or pampering voucher

Our last request is please do buy clothes that are suitable for tumble dryers and of course don’t forget to label them please. Happy Christmas shopping!