Helping to improve residents’ outcomes and overall wellbeing

inclusive-activities

About Kingsmead Care Home

Kingsmead is one of the oldest care homes in Swindon, renowned for providing exceptional residential and nursing care services to its residents. With a strong and well-established reputation, Kingsmead is widely recognised and respected in the local community.

The care home offers a range of services, including residential care, nursing care, respite care, palliative care, and nursing dementia care.

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Lisa Stevenson, the lead activities coordinator for Kingsmead Care Home, discusses how Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform helps provide inclusive activities for people of all abilities.

I've been the lead activities coordinator at Kingsmead Care Home for the past year. It has been immensely fulfilling to contribute to the wellbeing and happiness of the residents by creating and coordinating engaging and interactive activities.

Whether arranging social events, exercise classes, or craft workshops, I take pride in fostering a vibrant and enriching environment that allows residents to live life to the fullest. Seeing the positive impact of these activities on their lives is truly heartwarming and reinforces my passion for what I do.

As a care home group, we own and operate almost 50 residential, nursing and specialist care homes across the South and East of England.

Each of our care homes uses Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform , which provides fun and engaging activities and enables our activity coordinators to develop skills and improve every aspect of their wellbeing delivery, residents' outcomes, and overall wellbeing.

After thoroughly experimenting with several platforms, I can confidently say that Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform surpasses the others with its extensive range of activities and high-quality content.

One of the features that immediately captured my interest was the built-in calendar. This feature enables me to seamlessly integrate a wide range of activity ideas into our home's activity calendar, allowing for better organisation and coordination of activities for the residents.

Inclusive activities for all abilities

Kingsmead Care Home currently houses 37 residents, many of whom have learning disabilities and autism. The home specifically caters to individuals with high needs, including many people who are nonverbal. Due to our residents' requirements, most activities are conducted on a one-on-one basis. This personalised approach ensures that each resident receives the attention and care they need.

Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform provides a wide range of activities that can be tailored to each individual, allowing for engaging and inclusive experiences for all. There's always something on there for everyone.

For example, we care for a few people living with Lewy body dementia (LBD), some of whom may be nursed in bed or chair-bound at times. In such cases, we do the activities together in their room. We often engage in exercise activities where the resident and I watch the same instructor and perform the exercises together. It's heartwarming to see the joy on their faces, and there's one resident in particular who never fails to find it amusing when I make mistakes with the moves!

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There is another resident in our care who is non-verbal, autistic, and has Lewy body dementia (LBD). To help this individual, I use a weighted jacket, which has a calming effect and helps to reduce hyperactivity and anxiety. These benefits improve concentration levels and social interaction. I put the weighted jacket on the resident, and then I usually start one of the platform’s guided forest relaxation meditation videos. The video really helps the resident focus their mind and senses on the peaceful surroundings of a forest, creating a sense of safety, peace, and calm. Once the video starts, the resident quickly transitions from distress to a state of calm and relaxation; these activities are very effective at reducing a person's anxiety and stress.

When it comes to playing the meditation video, I have the flexibility to use an iPad, a laptop, or even the TV to ensure that the video is displayed in a size that suits the resident's needs. Additionally, if we're on a day trip and a resident begins to feel agitated, I can access the activities on my phone to help them feel more at ease. The versatility of being able to use different devices in various situations is truly remarkable!

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I'm also really impressed by the platform's Dementia-Friendly Activity Packs. They provide tips on preparing and delivering the activity sessions, include reminiscence activities, and use sensory and visual cues to guide residents through their past. This thoughtful approach ensures that the activities are engaging and beneficial for those living with dementia, helping to improve mood and overall wellbeing whilst reducing stress and agitation.

Created by experts

I wanted to start leading exercise classes for the residents, but I was concerned about inadvertently including inappropriate exercises that might be unsafe. However, when I discovered Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform, I was delighted to find a wide range of videos led by qualified exercise instructors. These instructors offer exercises that cater to people with different levels of mobility, which helped alleviate my fears and gave me the confidence to lead my classes effectively.

Knowing that the platform is created by experts in wellbeing, mental health, dementia, and nutrition gives me assurance that each activity is safe for the residents, allowing me to conduct the classes without any concerns.

Our top 3 favourite activities

Person Centred Software (PCS) is dedicated to making each day memorable and special. Every occasion is celebrated with enthusiasm, whether it's National Burger Day, where PCS offers some mouthwatering burger recipes, or Burns Night, where PCS provides:

Engaging quizzes
Captivating activity books, which are brilliant and done in a visual, colourful, and interactive way
A specially curated Burns Night menu

PCS goes the extra mile by providing everything from the ingredients for a comforting hot toddy to lively Scottish music to set the mood for dancing. Additionally, they offer colouring books featuring bagpipes, thistles, and other Scottish elements, providing an outlet for creative expression. I went all out dressed in a kilt and read the poems as best I could in a Scottish accent. The residents really enjoyed the day; it was one of their favourite activities!

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What truly sets PCS apart is its unwavering commitment to inclusivity, ensuring that there's something for everyone, regardless of skill or ability level.

Another one of the activities the residents enjoy is the "Celebrating with a Royal Tea Party" activity. It comes with an activity book that provides all the information you need to host a royal tea party, including details about the different types of teas you could serve, instructions for making decorative banners and invitations to your royal tea party. When I did this activity, I decorated the room, and we all dressed up for the occasion. It was so much fun; the residents loved it, and it really made the tea party feel special! Even the care staff got involved!

The residents also love the engaging and uplifting singing sessions led by Wim Koevoets, a dedicated therapist from Richmond Music Trust (RMT). Before Wim starts singing, he ensures that everyone is engaged throughout the session by providing clear directions and encouraging residents to participate with percussion instruments that they have around the home. These therapy sessions are carefully planned and include a songbook we can print out or display on a digital device.

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The residents thoroughly enjoy these sessions, and it's widely recognised that music therapy offers numerous benefits, including improved mood, cognitive function, and social interaction.

Easier to plan activities

Before implementing Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform, I struggled to create diverse and inclusive activities for the residents, especially considering some of the resident's limitations. While browsing Pinterest for ideas, I often came across activities that seemed fantastic but were only feasible for some of the residents in the care home. This led to frustration and a lack of variety in residents' activities.

However, upon discovering Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform, I found a wide range of activities suitable for everyone, making it much easier to plan engaging and inclusive activities.

When I consider organising activities, such as the one for Burns Night I mentioned above, and gathering all the necessary resources, it's clear that doing it all by myself would be incredibly time-consuming. However, the platform provides everything I need, saving us time and ensuring we have all the necessary resources for activities.

Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform is essential because I would be limited to my imagination without it. While I can be as creative as I want, I'm still just one person with one set of ideas. This platform gives our residents variety and prevents me from recycling the same ideas over and over.

Enables me to set up activities remotely

I also like how I can schedule activities on the residents' iPads, even when I'm not there. For instance, we have two residents with learning disabilities and dementia. Both residents are nonverbal and immobile but can independently engage in activities like meditation using their iPads. This allows the carers to engage residents in activities even in my absence.

Facilitates person-centred activities

Additionally, I love how you can set up each resident's profile. For instance, when I interact with a resident, the platform reminds me of their interests, such as playing cards or doing crosswords. This personalised approach enhances the experience for the residents, making it more enjoyable and meaningful for them.

Helps with regulations

The platform also helps with the CQC's regulations and assists us in gathering the necessary information to provide evidence. For instance, if I'm unavailable when the CQC visits, other care staff members can present the CQC with visual evidence, such as pictures of residents participating in different activities. Additionally, they can generate reports documenting our activities, such as the quiz residents took yesterday or the recipe they were baking the day before. This platform has proven to be invaluable!

Helps to save money

Before we started to use Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform, we hired a virtual reality (VR) presenter for the day who interacted with about a third of our residents. The cost for this visit amounted to around 300 pounds. The presenter's performance was exceptional, and the experience truly impressed us. However, upon reflection, I can access similar content on the platform at a significantly lower cost.

The platform offers many activities, from arts and crafts and exercise lessons to relaxation workshops, puzzles, magazines, cooking recipes, and virtual tours that greatly support reminiscence therapy; the list goes on, and you're spoilt for choice.

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I'm a part of a messenger group with numerous other care home staff members, and they often inquire about how I generate activity ideas and have questions about Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform. When I inform them about the platform, they usually say, "My manager thinks it's too expensive."

I find this surprising, so I invite them to visit my care home to witness firsthand how beneficial it is. The platform is like having additional activities coordinators, each bringing their own unique experiences to the table.

Furthermore, the costs of entertainers have significantly risen. In my previous care home, I was allocated a monthly budget of £250, out of which £100 was already earmarked for swimming and exercise classes for the residents, leaving only £150 for other activities. So, after booking an entertainer for around £90, we were left with a mere £60 for arts and crafts. This is where the platform comes to the rescue, enabling us to save money. The platform gives us access to a wide range of entertainers and activities 24/7. Therefore, when a care home manager claims the platform is too costly, they haven't thoroughly explored its benefits. If they took the time to delve into it, they would realise it's more cost-effective than hiring an entertainer for a day each month.

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I recently came across a live session on Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform featuring Mr Motivator, the famous fitness instructor. Although I could not participate due to other commitments, I love that if you miss it live, you can watch it on catchup. We'll be having a session with Mr Motivator very soon!

Another aspect I found particularly appealing is the option to message PCS and request entertainers to send a live message to the residents during their session. This could be for special occasions like birthdays or to give a shout-out, and it truly adds a personalised touch that makes the residents feel incredibly valued!

Person Centred Software’s Wellness and Activities Platform is like the activities coordinator handbook. It's an absolute must-have!

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Inclusive activities for older adults of all abilities