Care Home Resident Fulfils Lifelong Dream With Adrenaline-Fuelled Speedboat Ride
Portsdown View home recently helped 92-year-old resident John fulfil a lifelong dream by arranging a thrilling speedboat ride for him at Brighton Marina. A lifelong thrill-seeker, John has been using his time at Portsdown View to tick off many exciting challenges that are still on his bucket list – many of which involve speed and adrenaline!
Last year, the team arranged for him to visit Goodwood Aerodrome in Chichester, where he was able to co-pilot a plane. This year, he swapped wings for waves and enjoyed blasting through Brighton Marina at top speed. After this exhilarating experience, John rounded off the day with seaside-style fish and chips, where he declared “That was amazing — and I want to do it again!”
Pippa Mafunga, General Manager at Portsdown View, comments on the day:
“Seeing John’s face light up on the water was simply wonderful. He is such an inspiration to us – after so many decades he has never lost his love of speed; and his various adventures over the last few years only proves that age is just a number. I’m also tremendously proud of the whole team for the hard work they’ve put into making this happen”.
Organising the trip to Brighton Marina required the collaboration of the whole team at Portsdown View, from Events Coordinator Mehan who worked hard to arrange the event, to Personal Trainer Darrin who accompanied John on the boat to provide support. General Manager Pippa Mafunga also conducted a full risk assessment to make sure John would be safe, and made sure John was fully aware of the risks involved in the trip.
In tandem, Deputy Manager Charlotte Harman and the care lead team made sure all health concerns were fully understood and assessed with the local GP before they decided to proceed. Happily, John was deemed fit and healthy enough to take the speedboat ride – and on the day he surprised everyone with how naturally he took to the water.
Pippa Mafunga again: “At Portsdown View, creating extraordinary experiences for our residents is an essential part of what we offer. By listening to resident’s passions and aspirations, we want to ensure that life in the home remains as rich and exciting as their lives were outside – and that they can continue to grow and experience the world whilst living with us”.
Charlotte Harman, Deputy Manager at Portsdown View, also comments:
“Resident-led care is often overlooked in the wider industry, but here at Portsdown View it’s a key part of what we do. Supporting residents like John to fulfil their lifelong dreams is what makes our approach so special.”
