Resident Well-being
We focus on how to give each and every resident a sense of personal well-being
Nurturing every resident’s needs
Well-being stems from living a fulfilling and meaningful life. What that means in practice is unique to each individual. It’s why at Avery, we take the time to engage in Life Story work with each resident, learning about their interests and routines to create opportunities for positive engagement every single day.
With a wealth of activities that support the physical, social and psychological well-being of our residents, there really is something for everyone irrespective of their age, health or background. It’s something we pay close attention to by regularly talking to our residents about what they’re passionate about, what they’d enjoy doing more of and how we can help them achieve their goals.
Activities aren’t limited to scheduled events. We understand that a true sense of purpose comes from daily living, be it through spontaneous activities, our ‘Avery in Bloom‘ competition or getting involved in daily tasks around the care home — we’ve even had residents who enjoy assisting at reception.
We connect with communities bringing families together
All of our residents had lives within their communities before they joined our homes and we make it a priority to ensure they continue to enjoy those relationships.
Each of our care homes has access to Avery’s excellent transport service. While it’s great for special days out to the seaside or other attractions, it also forms an essential part of daily activities. Visiting the shops, the local pub or park all provide opportunities for residents to exert their independence, enjoy the outdoors and connect with locals.
Whether supporting our residents’ faith activities, their love of sports or other hobbies, we consistently reach out to the local community to make sure our residents can participate. In response, we find local communities reaching right back as our residents provide a wealth of knowledge and experience that every generation can benefit from.
We strongly support and encourage these exchanges. One way we do this is by pairing every Avery care home with a local school. Children visit our care homes looking for engagement and get that and so much more from our residents, as everyone learns, celebrates and enjoys each other’s company through intergenerational activities.
Families also play a huge role in supporting residents to enjoy the next chapter of their lives at our care homes. Not only do we work closely with families through Life Story work but we encourage families to take advantage of the many activities available when they visit. Through these shared experiences, as well as organised trips, families are often able to reinforce and rebuild relationships.
Walk into any Avery care home and you’ll find the café buzzing as family and friends enjoy tea and cake with residents in a welcoming, social environment. Nurturing these relationships ensures our residents can avoid the effects of isolation that sadly often come with getting older. It’s why we always take the time to help residents use technology, such as Skype and FaceTime, to connect with family and friends who aren’t able to visit them.
We embrace variety and support positive risk-taking
Moving into a care home marks a turning point for many and here at Avery, we ensure that its a change for the better. Life may be different but it needn’t be restrictive. Every member of the Avery team, from our catering and housekeeping staff to our care workers, undergoes bespoke training so they can contribute to the care of our residents. They’re each committed to understanding our residents’ needs and supporting them in their daily activities. This helps our residents take those extra steps towards independence, knowing help is always on hand.
This encouraging environment is complemented by our array of failure-free activities. Tailored to residents of any ability, these activities encourage participation without residents needing to worry over whether they can complete or fully engage with the activity.
Activities are too numerous to mention but include arts and crafts, games, photography, singing, dancing, gardening and plain old chatting over a nice cup of tea. Not only do they present an opportunity for socialising, but they also allow residents to contribute to their care home community, for example, with their artwork displayed in an exhibition, or fruits and vegetables they’ve helped grow being used in the kitchen.
While many of our activities uplift residents through socialising and connecting with others, we understand that it’s equally important to have quiet times too, whether that’s sitting outside in the garden or taking advantage of our cinemas, salons and libraries.
Freedom of choice is central to all of the activities we provide, enabling residents to assert their identity and determine how they would best like to spend their time. This is something we support for all of our residents, including those living with dementia or other cognitive challenges. Read more about how we approach well-being for those residents living with dementia.
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