Activities at Aveley Lodge

Activities

“Keeping physically active in later life has many benefits. It improves physical and mental health, and it enables people to stay independent for longer and do the things they value most.” Aging Better UK

An active and fulfilled lifestyle is what we aim for at Aveley Lodge. As well as being more physically active in general, we know that maintaining and improving muscle strength and balance can help people in later life continue to carry out activities of daily living and reduce their risk of falls. Exercise is vital not only to keep our residents moving and healthy as they age, but also to help improve their mental health and well-being.

Here at Aveley Lodge, our full-time activities coordinator offers a varied and exciting social calendar of activities, events and entertainment through one-to-one work and group activities. We actively and openly encourage family and friends to join us and participate in all our activities and events as well.  We are a Lifetime Member of the National Activities Providers Association (N.A.P.A.) so you can be assured that we are committed to improving the quality of life for older people through person-centred activities. In August 2018, Aveley Lodge won the N.A.P.A. Challenge 2018 – A Food Journey Around the Commonwealth – linking food, movement and memory recall, beating off competition from hundreds of other care homes from around the U.K. and winning £500 for our resident’s fund.

“If you can keep your mind active you are likely to reduce your risk of dementia. Also keeping socially engaged and having a good social network may also reduce your dementia risk.” Alzheimer’s UK

Our Activities

Listed below are some of the various activities we can regularly offer incorporating the needs and benefits of our residents as part of our tailored and balanced programme. Please note this list is not exhaustive & is subject to change at any time without prior notice:

Clubs

  • Cooking Club
  • Eats and Treats Club
  • Gentleman’s Social Club
  • Knit and Natter Group
  • Stretch & Balance Club
  • Needlecraft Club
  • Poetry Club
  • The Aveley Lodge Choir
  • Amateur Dramatics Club
  • Gardening Club
  • Bird watching Club
  • Writing Club / Pen Pal scheme
  • Cross Word Club
  • Maths Clubs
  • History Club
  • The Green Team

Other Activities

  • Film Afternoons
  • Arts & Crafts sessions
  • Musical sessions
  • Reminiscence work / memory books
  • Board games and puzzles
  • Quiz afternoons
  • Bingo
  • WII games
  • Flower Arranging / Flower pressing
  • Monthly Service User Meetings
  • Residents onsite mobile Shop
  • Spelling Bees
  • Virtual Reality Experiences

Individual Time

  • Onsite Unisex Hair salon, Nail Bar and treatment room including Chiropody. Other services such as Dentist, Optician, and Physiotherapist available on request.
  • “Happy” the interactive robocat
  • Pop Up Beach
  • Hand and nail care from our portable nail bar
  • Church Visits, Communion, prayer & other religious & spiritual time
  • Skype Sessions
  • Newspapers & magazines & books from our own library and the mobile library
  • Letter writing
  • Wish Tree
  • Dementia friendly activities

Exercise & Floor Games

  • Darts Team
  • Magic Table (interactive table top gaming / sensory system)
  • Armchair exercises
  • Netball Team
  • Lawn Bowls
  • Table Tennis/Badminton
  • Skittles
  • Mindfulness, Meditation, Relaxation sessions

Events

  • Theme days and theme months such as “Dance Month”, “Harvest Month” etc
  • Themed food events such as “Spanish Day”, “Mexican Day” etc
  • Charity Fundraising Events
  • Afternoon Teas
  • Annual events such as the Summer BBQ and Christmas Party and other seasonal celebrations
  • Family dining events

External Organisations

  • Pets As Therapy / Animal Therapy
  • Guest speakers
  • Coffee Mornings including visitors from the local community
  • Visits from the local community such as pre-school children, school children, Brownies and independent entertainers like singers, dancers, magicians, performing arts groups and mobile pottery franchise
  • Bodyshop Evening parties
  • Faith Leaders
  • French Lessons
  • Wishing Washing Line treats
  • Other services such as Dentist, Optician, and Physiotherapist available on request

Off Site Visits

  • Community 360 events and trips
  • Local Garden Centres
  • Local Historical Sites
  • Local Restaurants
  • Local Wildlife centres
  • Local events
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“You don’t have to be moving around to benefit from exercise. Chair-based exercises, which you can do sitting or holding on to the back of a chair, are ideal for improving muscle strength and flexibility.” AgeUK

Benefits of Activities

Here at Aveley Lodge, we recognise that people who are regularly active, sleep better, have lower blood pressure, a lower risk of heart disease, a lower risk of stroke and type 2 diabetes, some cancers, depression, and dementia. It can also boost an individual’s confidence and self-esteem.

Also, as most people know, falls are common amongst people in later life and are the most frequent cause of hip fractures. People who have had a fall often lose confidence and mobility and may need extra help with daily living activities like eating, dressing and going to the toilet. Falls are also very expensive for our health and social care system.  There are many things that can cause older adults to fall, including long-term health conditions, deteriorating vision, medication that causes dizziness and hazards in the home or community environment.

However, we at Aveley Lodge know that low muscle strength and poor balance are the two most common preventable risk factors for falls.  Did you know that the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines recommend that older adults do at least two sessions of muscle strengthening and balance activities per week?

At Aveley Lodge, through our varied and exciting activities and events programmes, we believe not only are our resident’s health needs met and improved but they help increase individual abilities in the following ways too:

  • Cognitive
  • Sensory
  • Social
  • Spiritual
  • Creative
  • Physical
  • Mental
  • Emotional
  • Communication
  • Reminiscence
  • Relaxation

Please see our “Forthcoming Events” list on our website and our Facebook page for the latest activities and events taking place here at Aveley. If you would like to know more about our Activities programme or would like to offer your services to our residents, please call our Activities team on 01206 729304 or email activities@parmentercare.co.uk