A penny for your thoughts please

Primrose

I visited an elderly friend in a Care Home for quite a while. He absolutely hated all of the organised activities, regarding them as totally inane. What he desperately wanted was just some good quality intellectual conversation.

Witsend_2

Primrose wrote: »

I visited an elderly friend in a Care Home for quite a while. He absoluted hated all of the organised activities, regarding them as totally inane. What he desperately wanted was just some good quality intellectual conversation.

Thanks Primrose I understand that activities are not for everyone and I do hope to offer some intellectual conversation and just be there as a good listener for those who just want to talk.

margaretclare

Primrose wrote: »

I visited an elderly friend in a Care Home for quite a while. He absoluted hated all of the organised activities, regarding them as totally inane. What he desperately wanted was just some good quality intellectual conversation.

Yes, if I was in that kind of situation that's exactly what I'd want too. Bingo, old-time songs, tea-dancing are some of the things that spring to mind that I would NOT want!

Witsend_2

margaretclare wrote: »

Yes, if I was in that kind of situation that's exactly what I'd want too. Bingo, old-time songs, tea-dancing are some of the things that spring to mind that I would NOT want!

Thank you margaretclare for your feedback. In this complex everyone has thier own front door, they do not have to be involved in anything if they choose not to however, I hope to offer practical things like car care and clean as some are still working and driving. Anyway the feedback forms will give me an indication as to what the residents want and I really hope that I can offer something for everyone however small.

sandraroffey

for the more nimble minded, and i bet you most of them are - why not set up a scrabble league?? really good for people who have kept their brains moving.

for the other older peeps an old time music evening with food etc goes down rather well.

when my MIL was in care home, she was fed the most amazing food, but she craved a good plate of fish and chips, so a pub style quiz in the communal area with a fish n chip supper and a beer, may go down well. call it a pub night!!!

her home also did outings all over the place, like a trip around the Body shop factory nearby. but no one thought to ask about stairs. more than half the outing couldnt manage stairs at all and it was a complete disaster!!!

Witsend_2

Thanks sandraoffey though I would do a fish and chip supper my friend owns a chip shop and does it for a local care home, sadly she is too far away to supply the retirement complex but that is on my menu for sure also a curry night for those a little more adventurous:eek: Also luch time specials my local Italian is offering lunch at 1983 prices celebrating 25 years you can have two courses for £3.50:D I thought a wine tasting evening also

Trips out can't wait I have so many ideas and also for the more active I thought I could organise golf days:D

Oh my goodness my head is spinning with everything I can hardly sleep at night for thinking of ideas, I just hope I do well at the 'trial by lunch' interview and get the job as I'm rearing to go.

sandraroffey

golf days? great and for the funny side of it all, how about crazy goldfdays? they may be a bit older but they still love a laugh. murder mystery too.

Witsend_2

sandraroffey wrote: »

golf days? great and for the funny side of it all, how about crazy goldfdays? they may be a bit older but they still love a laugh. murder mystery too.

Murder mystery? As long as I'm not the one they are all trying to get rid of:D

EdInvestor

Primrose wrote: »

I visited an elderly friend in a Care Home for quite a while. He absolutely hated all of the organised activities, regarding them as totally inane. What he desperately wanted was just some good quality intellectual conversation.

Just wondering about the type of people who end up in an average care home.I had heard that the vast majority have some variant on Alzheimers/dementia and many of the rest are there due to either quite serious disability following strokes, Parkinsons etc or frailty due to extreme old age.

Their abilities might be somewhat limited if so, and their 'tastes' related to an era possibly more bygone than one might imagine.;)

Perhaps these days most of the more 'nimble minded' will tend to be still at home, living with relatives or in some variant of sheltered accommodation?

Could anyone clarify?

Primrose

From my own experience the majority of those I've come across in Care Homes have suffered from strokes, or dimentia in various degrees and this often means that sadly their mental capacity is impaired in some way. Others have still been mentally agile but physically very frail and needing assistance. However, people from all walks of life can end up in the same establishment and this can mean people who in the past have read The Times,The Telegraph and the Guardian are mixed in with people who are more comfortable with The Sun and The Daily Mirror so they won't necessarily have much in common with each other. It stands to reason that they won't necessarily enjoy the same pursuits and activities. Also because women seem to outlive men, many care homes are overpopulated by women so the men can sometimes feel there is little creative activity directed towards them.