March 2021 News
ST DAVID’S DAY
St David is the patron saint of Wales, to celebrate St David’s day on 1 March we had discussions about daffodils, which are coming along nicely in our raised flowerbeds in our courtyard.
WORLD BOOK DAY
On 4 March, Pauline our wonderful Activities Co-ordinator organised lots of reading materials for the residents, books, magazines, newspapers, and crosswords to celebrate World Book Day. Pauline also read a book for the residents to listen to which was enjoyed by all.
VISITS
We were delighted to receive the Governments Guidance on 20 February which stated from 8 March were able to commence welcoming one named visitor per resident back into Farthings. We have been so pleased to welcome some of you back for our marquee visits, following a negative Lateral Flow Test. We have continued with our online booking process and we are of course continuing with our gate, window and virtual visits which are enjoyed by so many.
We appreciate that the past year has been such a difficult time for our residents and their families and friends and we would like to thank you all so much for your patience and understanding throughout.
MOTHERS DAY
Our residents thoroughly enjoyed receiving their Mothers Day gifts from their loved ones on 14 March, thank you to all our wonderful families.
HEALTH AND FITNESS
Our first armchair exercise class was delivered by Barnsley Premier Leisure (BPL) via a pre-recorded link and facilitated by our Activities Co-ordinator Pauline and Charlotte in Support Services. This is a new project and we are working alongside Bassetlaw Commissioning Group (CCG) and BPL to facilitate online exercise classes or meditation classes in our home, being pre-recorded means we can utilise them at a time to suit our residents and as often as they would like to do them. The residents really enjoyed the armchair exercises.
ST PATRICK’S DAY
On 17 March 2021 St Patrick’s Day was celebrated, an Irish theme throughout the day. Irish music was played over lunchtime.
SPRING BEGINS
Finally, the official start to Spring was here on 20 March! After what seems like a very long winter we are looking forward to welcoming more of our families back into Farthings when Government Guidance allows.
PAMPER DAY
Jayne one of our fabulous Care Assistants organised a pamper day and pampered our residents, giving everyone who wanted one a manicure followed by an application of nail polish. Everyone was left feeling relaxed and happy. Thank you Jayne!
JIGSAWS
Our residents had a lovely time on 31 March completing jigsaws together around our large round table. There are many benefits in completing jigsaws, a study from Princeton University concluded that jigsaw puzzles can improve motor skills like dexterity. When you pick through small pieces, flip them over, and fit them into small places, it exercises all those small muscles in the fingers and eyes. A study from Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience explained that engaging your brain with activities like jigsaw puzzles can reduce the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s. In addition, the completion of jigsaws can inspire socialisation, boost cognitive ability, boost your short-term memory and offers mindfulness.
