If you’re not familiar, Azad House is one of our independent living schemes in Leicester for over 55s. Many of those living here are Asian elders, but the whole community boasts a strong relationship with their Neighbourhood Coordinator (NC), Aquib.
Aquib has only been taking care of Azad House for a few months; however, he has been very keen to give it some TLC in all aspects. He explained that the residents told him they usually have a get-together for Eid but weren’t able to do so this year. It seemed to be an event they really enjoyed celebrating together so Aquib, alongside some other Neighbourhood Coordinators from the Midlands decided to put their heads together to bring residents the outcome they wanted.
Skip forward four weeks to Wednesday 6 May, and the get-together brought the entire scheme together! Tables were stocked up with a vegetarian buffet courtesy of our supplier, 4 Seasons, whose food always goes down as a hit with residents. Members of our Neighbourhoods, Comms and DLO teams were present to plate up food for whoever was hungry – some residents even kindly putting plates together so we could even bring food to those neighbours who hadn’t joined us in the communal lounge.
Aquib told us: “The main reason I arranged this event was to focus on community and connection. I was able to bring different team members together with our residents, which reflected a true sense of community.”
It’s true that it’s always a joy to have different teams from PA present at these local events, as it gives us a chance to build on our Tenant Satisfaction Measures: making sure residents’ views are listened to and acted upon and that we’re always making positive contributions to neighbourhoods. With DLO present it can be a chance to tackle repair times too – as if staff are present at a scheme where a repair is needed, they will often oblige in getting it sorted on the spot as best they can.
Once lunch was done, some residents had the idea to play antakshari – a game where one player sings a few lines of a song, then the next must sing a new song starting with the same sound that the first player ended with. It struck me as a beautiful and culturally rich way to keep residents’ minds sharp – an important topic, seeing as we’re in Dementia Action Week – and I was incredibly impressed by just how skilled at the game they were!
The game got Marco, our Communications Officer, chatting to Andy: a former resident of Caribbean Court who now lives at Azad House. Andy shared some insights about his life as a driver before he lost his sight. He also went into his passion for music, how he owned and played multiple instruments, and telling stories about local shows he'd played as a musician himself, even as a blind man.
Andy commented that he'd like more events like this and opportunities to interact with fellow residents and colleagues as otherwise, residents tended to stay in their rooms. For many like Andy, these gatherings are highlights for them and make them feel like valued parts of their community, which is a key benefit that we aim to bring to all of our independent living schemes by making sure resident voices are heard.
The day hadn’t even ended before Aquib was already keenly explaining some plans he has for Azad House in the future, from more events like this to sprucing up the communal areas and making them even warmer, comfier places for community to thrive. Watch this space!
