One thing we pride ourselves on here at PA is our commitment to resident impact, especially within our specialist housing schemes.
The staff working closely across these schemes strive to give our older residents opportunities to socialise and have fun, shaping the activities we provide around the feedback they give us. Events and activities like this happen frequently, so we thought we’d give a little roundup of what’s been on the calendar this January and February!
January
January was a month of sweet snacks and safety for residents at Albany House in Nottingham and Wolsey House in Leicester.
Café staff Donna and Anjan took the lead on a cake decorating activity at Albany, which was free to attend but residents generously made donations to the NSPCC. Donna guided residents step-by-step on how to decorate butterfly cakes and jam and coconut cakes, with an impressive spread of decorations to choose from. Buttercream, ganache, sprinkles, coconut, and edible sparkles… it’s making me hungry just to think about! Residents loved the event and asked for it to be run again, and Anjan described it as “one of the best things I’ve ever been involved with.”
Meanwhile at the Wolsey, an activity that appealed to similar taste buds was held by Scheme Officer Nihal. Wolsey residents had a blast being guided through making balah el sham – a type of soft Sudanese biscuit. It was a brilliant opportunity to fine-tune and exercise their motor skills, all while getting a sweet treat as a reward for their hard work!
Alongside these, a police beat surgery was held at Albany, with local policing team present to update residents on local policing and give them a chance to directly discuss any concerns and issues they may have. We’re very involved with other organisations in the community like this, and love bringing them along to events like this wherever possible to keep residents informed and make sure they’re feeling safe and satisfied in their homes.
To finish off the month, Albany was host to card bingo and a quiz night, activities which take place on a weekly basis in its lounge. Residents love showing up for their weekly bingo session and we love to see the friendly competition that it fosters in them!
February
February started off with a healthy balance of education and fun, as at Albany we held a presentation on the important topic of power of attorney. A very helpful slideshow was shown to residents explaining what it is, who is involved, and how it can benefit them – with examples. We appreciate the trust residents have in us and want to communicate and keep them informed as best we can on topics that can benefit them, and make sure to always lend an ear to answer any questions or concerns they may have. Power of attorney in particular is something anyone would benefit from, and so we’re also looking into making sure PA as a wider organisation is informed on it and how it can help residents.
Love was in the air at the Wolsey and Albany, with Scheme Officer Nihal hosting a Valentine’s crafts evening for the Wolsey. The crafting was a huge success with a fantastic turnout, and residents made some beautiful cards that are being displayed around the scheme. One resident, Hansa, even kindly treated everyone to some Khandvi she had made and shaped into a heart – what a way to share the Valentine’s joy! Albany celebrated by holding a lovely Valentine’s steak night for NSPCC, a cause that residents love to raise awareness and funds for.
Keeping on the topic of food, both Albany and Wolsey had lots of fun this Pancake Day holding their own pancake making evenings. You’re never too young or too old for a fluffy pancake, and residents had lots of fun from flipping to piling on all the toppings they could possibly dream of!
