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Pub Trip brings back happy memories

Three residents from Steepleton Manor enjoyed lunch at The Kings Arms this week.  The Kings Arms Pub is in the West Dorset village of Portesham close to the Jurassic coast, and has been a pub since at least 1900. It’s a favourite with local people and tourists who enjoy the surrounding countryside.

Bill, Reggie and Helen relaxed with a tipple and remembered some happy times in the past when they lived locally. Bill worked as a farmer in Forston and Reggie, a retired Army Colonel, lived at Litton Cheney.

Community Care Team are Outstanding

Staff from Care at Home in Yeovil have been praised for their outstanding care service in a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

Over 100 local people receive care in their own homes by the staff in the Yeovil office which received an overall rating of ‘Good’.

The two day inspection took place in June and focused on a variety of areas including safety, management and how responsive the staff are.

A total of 25 care staff work at the office which is part of Altogether Care, a Dorset based care provider which is family owned.

Care skills and knowledge were also praised along with staff’s ability to build relationships with their service users.  The report also stated that dignity and privacy were respected at all times and the Manager of the Yeovil office was open and approachable.

The report also highlighted that systems are in place to monitor the quality of the service and to respond to concerns and complaints and to learn from issues raised and that people received effective care and support from staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs.

Caitlin Hughes, Manager of Care at Home in Yeovil said,

“We are all delighted to receive such a positive result of our recent inspection. We may be a small team but we deliver a big service.  We do our best to offer the best possible care service to local residents in their own homes and we respect that each person is an individual with different requirements”.

Photo L-R: Lisa Charles-Field, Caitlin Hughes, Zoe Jone, Helen Lambden

Active and Socially Connected – Health and Wellbeing in Later Life

There is a wide body of evidence to show that being physically and socially active in our later years leads to fewer health problems and may well prolong life. Among the many advantages of assisted living is the fact that company is always easy to find, and that leisure and physical activities are easier to access than for many older people.

Activity programmes play an important part at all our Care Homes. And because we know about care so well from 30 years in the sector, it’s easier to provide activities that residents will enjoy and find the most beneficial.

The setting of the home can provide plenty of opportunities. A stroll around the beautiful grounds at Steepleton Manor, for example, is a delight in almost any weather- the Tuesday gardening club is a great time for socialising, as well as the opportunity to do something practical and meaningful. All our homes feature outside spaces for residents to enjoy the fresh air whenever they want.

Physical Activity

Further physical activity is provided through ball games and chair aerobics, with plans to extend the programme further.  Craft and art activities are proven to have emotional and cognitive benefits, and residents can take part in art classes, jewellery making and pottery decoration. There are also guided meditation sessions, which can be beneficial physically and emotionally.

We also have an active film club as well as regular visits from musicians and singers and regular trips out.

For too many older people ageing means increasing isolation and reduced participation, which inevitably impacts on physical and emotional wellbeing. Our aim is to ensure that our residents are able to enjoy and lead a full life in their later years.

We are also keen to ensure that our residents remain connected to the outside world. So we are currently working on increasing community involvement by liaising with the local school and church. This will be very beneficial to all.

At Steepleton Manor and our other care homes, physical and social activity is part of everyday life.

Why not visit us to see for yourself what life at the Manor is really like? Contact us on 01305 300 161.

Steepleton Manor: An Environment Designed Around Health and Wellbeing

The links between environment, wellbeing and good health are well established. We put a lot of thought into the physical environment and surroundings at all of our care homes for this reason. The right environment not only reduces stress and anxiety but also offers more opportunities for physical and leisure activities.

Steepleton Manor is probably the best example of this. It is a very attractive grade II Victorian manor house set in 6 acres of landscaped, parkland grounds. Residents never need to go far to experience a tranquil green space.

The grounds provide a perfect, safe, off-road area for walking and exercising, with a variety of features, including mature trees and landscaped gardens. The overall feeling is one of great open spaces and calm. The house is set well back from the road in the quiet village of Winterbourne Steepleton so there is hardly any noise to spoil the peace and quiet – apart maybe from birdsong.

The grounds also feature a kitchen garden where residents can grow their own vegetables to enjoy with their lunch or dinner. Again, gardening and growing vegetables is highly therapeutic. It’s an opportunity to take part in meaningful activity and to be more independent.

And there can be few better places to relax on a sunny day than the lovely patio area outside the house.

Healthier, Inside and Out

The importance of environment is brought into the interior of the home. Bright, spacious rooms continue the light and airy feeling as does the large open plan lounge area. For ultimate peace and quiet there is a smaller lounge and a well stocked library.

Good company is also important and the common rooms provide a great place for social activities and informal, relaxed interaction with fellow residents.

Private space matters too. So rooms feature en-suite facilities to provide a fully self contained living space for each resident – a space they can truly call their own.

We believe that Steepleton Manor provides an unrivalled life-enhancing environment for our residents in their later years. If you’d like to see it for yourself please arrange a visit, or call us on 01305 300 161.

Verwood Ladies sponsorship

Verwood Ladies Football Club would like to thank Altogether Care for sponsoring their training tops this season.

Additional new players and media coverage from The Echo has boosted the team morale. Next season is set to be an exciting one!

Some recent day to day activities