By Eileen Garbutt, Health & Wellbeing Coordinator at Guild Care

Thursday 10th of March 2022

At Guild Care, we are always looking for a reason to celebrate a special occasion and last week was no different. It was World Book Day on the 3^rd of March and Guild Care celebrated this across all of our care homes. Haviland House, our dedicated dementia care home, even hosted a very special guest!

 

One of our residents, Betty, frequently tells me about freelance author, editor, and publisher, Caroline Taggart, who has been one of her best friends for many decades! Caroline often travels down from London to visit Betty and always brings signed books with her. Betty proudly displays her good friend’s books and says that they “help keep the brain ticking over!” Last week Caroline shared her new release, ‘Humble Pie & Cold Turkey’ – A fascinating look into the origins of some of the words and phrases we use most often.

 

As Haviland House’s Health & Wellbeing Coordinator, I have used Caroline’s books for many years in my activity groups and so I was thrilled to meet the lady herself! Caroline even bought me an extra signed copy of her newest book which I will treasure.

 

Every one of Guild Care’s care homes has its own Health & Wellbeing Coordinator, and organising activities for special occasions (such as World Book Day) is just a small part of our role. Keeping mentally and physically active during day-to-day life is incredibly important for our residents, and this is where being a dedicated Health & Wellbeing Coordinator really does make a difference. As coordinators we all lead a variety of activities ranging from arts and crafts, baking, and read-alongs, to gentle physical workouts and non-denominational services on Sundays.

 

Studies show that giving the brain a mental workout is just as important as daily physical exercise, particularly as you age. Continually giving your mind new ideas to grasp and challenges to work on are some of the best ways to stay alert and promote brain health. As with so many age-related issues, prevention is key, and keeping the brain active is a welcome part of our daily routine.

 

Having a wide range of group activities can also be vital in preventing loneliness. We know that feelings of isolation have been particularly prevalent in the last few years, so my colleagues and I have made it our mission to ensure that all of our residents feel included as part of the Guild Care family.

 

The beginning of March means that Spring is just around the corner, and the improving weather opens up a wealth of new outdoor activities to keep our family members active and engaged. I for one know that our residents are already planning activities and will certainly be putting their gardening gloves on soon. This is one of our most popular activities which our residents look forward to all year round!