At the end of another brilliant year at Chestnut Court we have been thinking back on some of our achievements and favourite memories from the past twelve months. We have been able to build a fantastic team of staff this year at the home, with several new members joining the team and some former staff returning to us, we are lucky to have a very strong team.
It has been wonderful to see the progression of several of our team members this year, such as Jackson being promoted to the role of Senior Care Assistant and Emma taking on the role of Home Administrator, the same year she celebrated her 10-year anniversary with us.
Our team have put a lot of effort into furthering their knowledge this year and have been regularly taking part in training sessions on key skills. We have been fortunate to be able to arrange in person training for the team to ensure everyone is up to speed on their key skills and are aware of current industry best practices.
This year has also seen the start of an extensive renovation project taking place at Chestnut Court. We have been focussing on the communal areas of the home, laying new carpets and painting. The exterior of the home has also been given a facelift with the entrance being decorated and new gravel laid on the driveway. We are excited to continue these renovation plans for the home into the new year and make further improvements to the home for our residents to enjoy.
In 2023, ward rounds with the Care Home Assessment Team (CHAT) began at Chestnut Court. These weekly visits mean potential health issues can be identified early and provide our staff with the opportunity to discuss any concerns they have about our residents’ wellbeing. This has been a really positive step for the home and has enabled us to further improve the care provided to our residents.
We have seen great success this year with both our monthly resident and relatives meetings. The residents have enjoyed having to opportunity to give their input in what is happening at the home, it has been great to have them involved in discussion around activities, food, planned events and other key topics. Our relatives meetings have been a great way to share with our residents’ loved ones important information about what is happening at the home and our upcoming plans. It’s also a perfect chance to hear feedback on their experience with the home, which we then use to improve our services. We look forward to continuing both of these monthly meetings in 2024.
Our residents have enjoyed a packed and varied schedule of activities this year, including the continuation of our well-loved mobile shop, gardening club and arts & crafts sessions. We welcomed our new Activities Coordinator Emily during the summer, she has done a fantastic job of arranging lots of fun activities for the residents since her arrival.
Our summer fete was a big highlight for us, the residents had a wonderful time playing games, enjoying the musical entertainment and having a go at our raffle. The residents also went on some minibus trips to explore the local area during the sunnier days. We are lucky to have so many wonderful places to visits near to the home and the residents had a lot of fun visiting Highcliffe Castle, Milford on Sea and Mudeford Quay.
Per the request of our residents, we have introduced more animal therapy activities into our regular schedule. We now have a therapy dog called Martha who frequently comes to the home to spend time with our residents, and even enjoyed visits from parrots and baby rats.
We have loved hosting our monthly coffee mornings throughout 2023, bringing together our residents, their family members, friends and members of our local community. These take place on the last Wednesday of each month and we are looking forward to continuing this event in 2024.
Throughout the year, at our various events and celebrations we have been holding raffles and other activities to raise money for our chosen charity, the Alzheimer’s Society. We had a target for the year to raise £500 which we were able to achieve. We are very happy to support a charity that is doing so much good and is a cause very close to our hearts.
We ended the year with some wonderful Christmas celebrations at the home, where residents enjoyed a fantastic Christmas party at the home and our annual trip to the Ballard School Christmas carol concert, among other festive activities.
2024 looks to be another fantastic year for both residents and staff at Chestnut Court. We have lots of plans for the home and will continue to focus on providing a comfortable and enjoyable environment for our residents.