Waters Edge - 11 June 2010

IT’S A WRAP – FOR A WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT!

Residents at a Great Wyrley care home are clicking away in a bid to break the world record for knitting the biggest blanket.
Twelve residents at Waters Edge, which is owned by Alpha Care Homes, along with activities coordinator Jenny Cowley, have been knitting squares since January and are hoping their blanket will make it into the Guinness book of world records.
More than 200 squares have been knitted so far at the home in Stafford Road – but the team has a big feat on its hands, as the blanket will need to be the size of a football pitch!
Jenny said: “We’ve registered our attempt with the Guinness World Records and are waiting for confirmation of what we need to do to beat the current record.
“The residents have really enjoyed themselves knitting, as we always have a reminisce while we knit, along with coffee mornings.
“On nice days we sit outside to knit.
“We can’t believe how big our blanket has grown – it now measures about nine feet by nine feet.  There has been lots of hard work put in and all that clicking of needles is very good exercise for their fingers.”
The home hopes to donate the blanket to charity after the attempt – but it might need to be cut down in to usable chunks eventually.

Waters Edge - 06 April 2010

Easter Bonnet Parade

Residents at Waters Edge care home enjoying an Easter Bonnet Parade.

Waters Edge - 23 March 2010

JUST THE TONIC TO GET OVER SICKNESS BUG!

Residents at a Great Wyrley care home are set for a real tonic after recovering from a bout of winter sickness – a day of pampering, complete with a 1960s theme show.

Activities for Dignity Action Day at Waters Edge Care Home in Stafford Road had to be postponed last month when a total of 40 residents and staff fell ill with the Norovirus bug.

Now they are all feeling better the home, owned by Alpha Care Homes, has reorganised the event for Thursday March 25th.

Staff will dress up in 1960s outfits and some are planning to come in on their days off to join in the fun.

‘Kate’s Cabaret’ – a team of five artists – will entertain with 1960s songs and residents will be able to have some pampering, including hairdressing and manicures.

The event is part of the Department of Health’s Dignity in Care campaign, which aims to create a care system where there is zero tolerance of abuse and disrespect of adults.

Sandra Potts, care home manager, said: “Unfortunately we had to postpone our event last month because so many people went down with Norovirus, which is common in the community in the winter, and we had to stop visitors from coming in for two weeks.

“Everybody is on the mend now, so we decided to hold our Dignity Action Day a month late, which will cheer everyone up and be a real tonic for our residents.

“Waters Edge care home is fully behind this campaign to guarantee people who receive care are treated as individuals, are given choice, control and a sense of purpose in their daily lives, which includes providing stimulating activities.”

Waters Edge - 01 June 2009

BELLY DANCER SET TO ‘WOW’ CARE HOME RESIDENTS

Residents and staff at a Great Wyrley care home will be trying their hand at belly dancing after watching a show by an expert.

‘Romany’, whose real name is Marie Birch, from Cannock, will perform a dance routine at Waters Edge care home, in Stafford Road on Sunday May 31st.

She will then help the residents and staff to have a go themselves.

Marie is the daughter of Kate Wingate, receptionist at the home, who asked if she would give the performance as a treat.

Sandra Potts, the manager of Waters Edge, which is owned by Alpha Care Homes, said: “We are always trying to arrange various activities for our residents and thought this was very different.

“We hope the afternoon will be full of laughter as the staff and residents have a go at the dancing.”

Waters Edge - 17 March 2009

Care home set for colourful St Patrick’s celebration

A care home in Great Wyrley will be festooned in green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

Waters Edge Care Home, in Stafford Road, has organised a range of Irish-themed activities to mark the patron saint’s day.

Male residents are set to toast St Patrick’s Day with a glass of Guinness, while the ladies enjoy a drop of Irish cream liqueur.

The home will be decorated with shamrocks made by the residents and everyone at the home will dress up in green to get into the spirit of the day.

Residents will also be able to enjoy Irish music and dancing during the special day.

Jenny Cowley, activities coordinator, said everyone at the home was looking forward to the event.

“We are all hoping to get into the Irish spirit to mark St Patrick’s Day,” she said.

“There will be lots of activities going on at the home throughout the day and the residents are all really looking forward to it. It should be a really fun celebration.”

Waters Edge - 17 February 2009

CARE HOME RESIDENTS GET ALL DRESSED UP

Laughter peeled out around Waters Edge care home in Great Wyrley as the residents enjoyed a day of getting dressed up ‘to the nines’.

About 20 of the home’s residents donned colourful scarves, hats and jewellery, donated by relatives and staff, and had a grand old time for their recent dressing-up day.

They then wore their finery as they danced, sang and enjoyed a special afternoon tea.

Activities Coordinator Jenny Cowley, who organised the event at the home in Stafford Road, said: “We asked for donations of hats, scarves and jewellery so that our clients with dementia could let their hair down and have some fun dressing up.

“I don’t know who had the most fun actually – our activities team or our residents.
The laughter could be heard all the way to reception.”

The home, which is owned by Alpha Care Homes, is also working hard to help support the relatives of residents with dementia.

The newly-formed Dementia Support Group is holding its second meeting on February 18th, with a special guest speaker, Jean Dutton, from the Lichfield Alzheimer’s Society.

Jenny said: “It is hard to see the change in loved ones when they have dementia – they almost feel they have lost that person.

“Our support group aims to help them to understand their relative’s condition and cope with it.

“It’s also reassuring for them to see how we look after their special needs and to find out that they can still have a good time, just as they did at our dressing up day.”