March has brought about plenty of opportunities for creative and therapeutic activities at Barchester Healthcare.
The residents at Hollyfields Care Home have attended our first Virtual Dementia Choir courtesy of our friends at Arts Uplift, who specialises in arts and health with the aim to enhance the physical and mental
well-being.
Everyone really had a ball and loved singing some of their favourite songs whilst playing instruments and clapping along too. Our brilliant session was led by Claire Fowler and we will be having weekly sessions going forward.
Over at Cherry Trees Care Home, we've been indulging our glamorous side with a lip balm making workshop. The lip balms were made from cocoa butter, coconut oil, shea butter and a bit of bees' wax. We then added a little bit of vanilla and honey for taste and a tiny bit of lipstick for colour, a really easy and fun activity.
We also created a decorative scented bag for use in hand bags or wardrobes. They were made using gauze bags, dried flowers and rice that had been scented with essential oils and dyed with food colouring.
The blue rice was lavender scented and the pink used geranium and rose they both smelt amazing!
The residents enjoyed both workshops, especially deciding what colour and flavour lip balms they wanted plus getting some pampering when we tested them all out!
We celebrated World Book Day enhancing our links with the community by listening to fantastic stories and poems, read by local school children via Zoom meetings.
This also provided a great social opportunity for our residents to connect virtually in addition to our regular pen pals.
Could you enhance the creative opportunities in your settings? Literature, music and crafts are just a few examples that combine enjoyment with relaxation to promote well-being.
For more information about Life and The activities Hollyfields or Cherry Trees Please visit;
To learn more about Arts Uplift across Worcestershire, Coventry and Warwickshire please visit;