Our Very Special Christmas Dinner....

Apéritif
Bucks Fizz

Starter

Freshly squeezed orange juice

Prawn cocktail with marie rose sauce on a bed of rocket salad 

Smoked salmon salad with a slice of wholemeal bread 

Fan of melon with a raspberry coulis

Main Course

Herb glazed roast turkey or lamb

Orange & cranberry stuffing

Pigs in blankets

Roast potato

Duchess potato

Sliced runner beans

Petis pois

Braised red cabbage in sweet cider vinegar 

Young baby sprouts 

Rich turkey, thyme & white wine gravy

Dessert

Traditional christmas pudding with Courvoisier brandy sauce, vanilla custard or cream 

Pimms jelly with strawberries & cream 

Brandy snap with fresh fruit & cream

Eton mess 

Ten Top Tips for Looking After the Elderly this Christmas

It’s easy to forget with your family and friends around you as you open presents and all sit down together to eat your Christmas dinner, that there are people out there who are all alone and won’t see another human face all day long. OK, it’s true that we should spare time to help people less fortunate than ourselves all year long, but this year we are challenging each and every one of you to take the Christmas Care Challenge.

Follow even just ONE of our tips to helping the elderly this Christmas and see how the old adage that it is better to give than receive will ring truer than a church bell on Christmas morning.

A Little Extra Goes a Long Way

Buy an extra gift suitable for an elderly person and either give it to an elderly neighbour or take it into one of the charities that collect Christmas presents for the vulnerable elderly. Perhaps a tin of special biscuits could be delivered to a local day centre or take a bottle of sherry to a residential home near you.

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

With all this talk of a white Christmas we know it’s going to be cold, but when was there ever a warm Noel? Many elderly people are at risk of serious injury just by stepping out of doors and slippery paths often mean a shortcut to hospital. Clear a neighbour’s path of snow and ice with a bit of shovelling and salting (it’s a great way to keep warm and burn the Christmas calories off). Remember, it doesn’t have to be actually snowing for a path to need de-icing.

When Christmas Shopping is Good for the Soul

It’s easy enough for most of us to get about; we have cars or can easily get on the bus or train to the shops, but what about that elderly neighbour? Knock on their door and suggest they accompany you shopping, so they can get all the festive bits and bobs they require. Bear in mind they might need a little more help than just a lift to the shops; those bags might be heavy.

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree...

Elderly folk climbing on chairs and fiddling with electrical fairy lights is a recipe for disaster – so go and lend a hand! Putting up decorations is fun and something you can do together.... and a little glass of sherry and a mince pie afterwards makes it all worthwhile. Remember to go and take them down again before the 6^th of January though.

Boxing Day..... But Early!

Make a little Christmas box hamper complete with homemade mince pies, piece of Christmas cake or pudding, some nice ham, pickles and crackers....And a cracker. Then take it round to your chosen elderly person. It can be embarrassing giving gifts as you might not be sure what the other person would like, but everyone likes a traditional Christmas delicacy to nibble on.

Christmas Is All About the Kids

Many elderly folk don’t see their grandchildren and great grandchildren as often as they would like, some not at all and some don’t have any. A card or homemade Christmas decoration made by a neighbour’s child would not only brighten their day, but the entire festive season everytime they looked at it. Go on, get the glitter out!

Christmas Comes But TWICE a Year!

OK so, you’ve got your plans with your family for the big day itself, but what about Boxing Day or even Christmas Eve? Invite an elderly person round for and early or belated Christmas dinner or lunch and spread the cheer this festive season... and the good news is you get to celebrate twice!

Christmas Dinner is on its Sleigh

Takes hours doesn’t it? All that veg prep and de-frosting the turkey only to be gobbled up in 15 minutes flat, everyone over eats and then sits groaning all the way through the Queen’s speech. Save yourself some calories and drop a lovely hot dinner into a neighbour. Remember to let them know of your kind offer so they don’t go to the trouble themselves.... and let them know it’s on its sleigh....I mean, way (too much sherry already) so they don’t worry that you’ve forgotten them!

Make Sure it is Only Santa that Comes Down the Chimney!

Maybe one of your elderly neighbours is going off to the bosom of their family to enjoy a warm and loving Yuletide. In that case they’ll need someone to keep an eye on their house, turn lights on and off and generally check for frozen pipes and the like... It has to be said that this is one of the busiest times of the year for burglars, so lend a hand and help keep out anyone who isn’t bearing gifts!

The Real Message of Christmas

Of course, you could go the whole hog (perhaps the whole turkey would be more appropriate?) and invite a lonely elderly person to join you this year and share in your family’s special day. Or you could share their day, as there are many elderly charities that could do with some help this time of the year. Now that, is the true message of Christmas.

Ten Top Tips to Finding the Ideal Residential Home

This is an ongoing blog and we will have more tips for you very soon about finding the perfect care home for yourself or a loved one.

After 25 years in the business and a 3 star rating from the Care Quality Commission you can rely on us to give you only the very best advice!

First Five Tips....

Drop In & See For Yourself

Just like anyone who is considering a move, it’s important to see where you’re going to live and visit a few homes to help you choose. Most homes shouldn’t have a problem if you simply drop in, as this is a good way to get a real view of how the home operates and so what it might be like to live there. Don’t be shy and do your research thoroughly.

Location, Location, Location

This is as true of finding a residential home as it is of any other type of dwelling. Consider exactly where you want to live, for example, do you want to be nearer family? Do you want to live in a more rural location or perhaps nearer the shops and bus routes? If someone is suffering from early dementia it might be better for them to stay somewhere familiar. Think carefully about what you want and what you need.

Needs Must

Choosing a home is as much about the level and type of care required as it is about the first two points above. Choosing a lovely nursing home in a great location won’t work if you need funding, as the local authority will only pay for nursing care for those that have a medical need for it. Likewise is true of the opposite scenario and some homes do not accept people with dementia. Your doctor is a good place to start for needs assessment advice as is the local social services.

Get Help & Advice

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, this does not mean that you are giving up your right to choose in anyway whatsoever. You and your family/friends will always have the final say! There are organisations  such as Age Concern and Help The Aged that can help with advising you on how to find a home, your doctor, social services and even local residential homes will all help you find out as much information as you need before making that all important decision.

Talk Between Yourselves

Unfortunately, not everyone has family that can help them, but we do all have friends! It’s important to have another set of eyes and ears helping you when visiting homes or speaking to people who offer advice on finding homes.  They’ll think of things that you might not and see things that you may miss, but together as a team it makes the whole process easier and less stressful. After all, what are friends and family for if not to help with life’s big decisions?

Keeping The Grey Matter Active

We read with great interest last week about how doing a quiz a day keeps dementia at bay and is at least as effective as medication. Now, we would never advocate anyone stopping medication or not taking anything prescribed by a doctor, but keeping the brain active along with traditional scientific treatments for dementia has to be a winner; it certainly can do you no harm. Even those without dementia will benefit from doing a simple crossword or word searches every day and it helps pass the time in a fun way too.

As well as daily paper coffee break quiz sections and cross and quiz word books and magazines, there are loads of TV programmes that make you think too. Everyone loves an Egghead (BBC2 6pm weekdays) and of course there’s the ever popular Countdown and sitting down for half an hour with a cup of tea and a biscuit has to be one the best ways to exercise a part of your body! Many of our residents gather to watch these shows and it can get quite competitive on occasions when we actually make teams and pitch our wits against each other.

We regularly do quiz activities ourselves with the staff playing quiz master. Not only is this great fun and often results in great hilarity from some of the answers and comments from one team to another, but by choosing questions from days gone by it becomes a useful reminiscence tool and helps us assess our residents’ dementia status.

We wholeheartedly advocate and facilitate our residents using their brains as much as they can, and their bodies too. This can be done in many ways from a simple armchair exercising (we hold regular sessions), through to simply offering choice (a big deal for us and something each and every one of our residents does and is encouraged to do daily). Every activity requires thought process, which in turn keeps the brain ticking over nicely. For example, we encourage our residents to bake and do gardening, things they would’ve done and enjoyed in their own private homes, this not only gives a sense of enjoyment and pride in the results, but keeps body and mind active and daily living skills going too.  And you can do the same at home!

So, if quizzing is good for you I’m off to find the crossword, as I could do with a little mental agility myself.

Now, seven down, four letters beginning with ‘Q’ and ending in ‘Z’, to test the knowledge of one by posing question.... I wonder what that could be?....