Celebrating Easter and spring at Guild Care

The past couple of years have made family visits difficult but this year we welcomed Easter with open arms. The festivities have been in full swing at all three of our care homes in the Worthing area.

Preparations started the week before Easter, with our residents creating springtime wreaths and flower arrangements to decorate communal spaces.

We then hosted a variety of events over the long weekend, such as Easter-themed bingo on Good Friday and a traditional Easter service on Sunday.

Haviland House received many generous donations from local businesses and their customers to help support these festivities, including 40 Easter eggs from Tesco Extra in Durrington.

We served simnel cakes and hot cross buns all weekend. These traditional Easter treats are particularly popular with our residents, who remember making them with their families.

It is always fascinating to talk to residents about particular family recipes and regional variants. Many of the traditional activities associated with Easter can trigger memories that help support a resident’s overall wellbeing, especially in those living with dementia.

With Easter comes the start of spring, and the opportunity for our residents to start enjoying our gardens once again. The colourful spring bulbs that we planted last winter are now in full bloom, making a gentle stroll in the garden a wonderful chance for a breath of fresh air.

Some of our more green-fingered residents love the opportunity to get their hands dirty and help out with the gardening. Gardening is an excellent way for older people to practise dexterity skills and get some gentle exercise through weeding, potting, and planting.

Having a finished product to admire and enjoy is also a wonderful added benefit.

We love our herb garden at Haviland House. Growing your own food is always a rewarding experience and the scents of basil, rosemary and thyme can remind our residents of cooking family meals.

Easy-to-grow plants like mint can be used in simple teas, while options like lavender are stress-reducing as well as beautiful.

Some residents will have spent many years enjoying their own gardens or visiting garden centres as a social pastime. Continuing these interests is a great way to help people feel settled in their new home, bringing them together with shared interests and hobbies.

Spending time outdoors, feeling the sunshine on our faces while listening to birdsong, is a simple pleasure that can be enjoyed with carers or visiting family and friends.

Guild Care is a registered charity and care provider that has been serving Worthing since 1933. For more information on our services, or to find out if we could support you or a loved one, please visit our website at www.guildcare.org. Alternatively, you can follow us on social media to keep up to date with everything that we do.

Also in the news: When aliens invaded West Sussex for classic Doctor Who stories

See also: Iron Age tools and Roman jewellery among finds from Angmering development