Residents Travel The World From The Comfort Of Care Home
Residents at a group of care homes across Surrey travelled a combined 32,711 miles from the comfort of their armchairs as they celebrated ‘holiday at home’ week in style.
Each of CHD Living residential care homes, from West Byfleet to Hindhead, chose a destination country with its residents and ‘jetted off’ through a range of activities, dining experiences and decoration. From Down Under to Cowboy Country, and even a nod to the Great British holiday camps of old, the residents experienced a whole range of cultures with one even taking a roundabout route to India via America to meet up with another home.
Care home staff used cinema rooms to create flight experiences for residents, complete with in-flight meals and welcome drinks, while the ‘holiday camp reps’ were complete with recognisable yellow blazers and a winning smile as residents were ushered inside the transformed care homes.
On their ‘holiday at home’, Will Hammond, Wellbeing Co-ordinator at Surbiton, said: “We had an amazing time with our residents experiencing the USA – with a visit from cheerleaders, a magician from the Magic Circle and even a cheeky flutter at the ‘Vegas’ casinos. Travel is something many of our residents miss so we wanted to share a journey and help them reconnect with a past passion. For some it brought back memories and for others it was a whole new experience – it made it so special for all of us.”
Gayle Simmonds, Wellbeing Co-ordinator at St Catherines, added: “We ‘arrived’ in Italy for our holiday at home and enjoyed a wonderful Italian meal prepared by our fabulous chef and the kitchen team. Then, we all got to experience the opera and enjoy some delicious gelato before we came home – via duty free of course. It was something totally different that encouraged so many of our residents to get involved, even those who are usually a little more reserved. We’ve made memories to share and cherish and can’t wait to jet off together again.”
Additionally, across the group’s homes, Abbey Chase travelled to Australia, Kingston journeyed to Hawaii, King’s Lodge adventured to India and White Gates cruised the Caribbean, while residents at Surrey Heights and Hills enjoyed a staycation at its very own holiday camp.
On her holiday at home to the USA, Lorna Head, 93, a resident of Surbiton commented, “It was such a lovely week! My holidays were often spent at the seaside in the UK, so experiencing a little of the USA was a wonderful way to spend our holiday.’
Gay Vaughan, 91, also a resident of Surbiton added, “It was so nice to see the home all decorated for the occasion. We had some wonderful entertainment too – I loved the magician and the cheerleaders. It was something totally different and I feel as if I’ve really been away for the week.”
