Local Artist Shares Her Love of Painting with a North Devon Nursing Home

Around two and a half years ago, local artist Ruth Bateman spotted an appeal from Heanton Nursing Home inviting local artists to share their creativity with the people who live there.

She responded, bringing along her ideas and materials for what would become the first of many art workshops. More than two years later, she is still a familiar face at Heanton, arriving with paints, pencils and a new idea for what they might create together.

“I remember thinking how rewarding this would be and to offer something to those who may otherwise not have the opportunity to do artistic projects and pursuits,” she said.

Since then, the tables at Heanton Nursing Home have been covered with everything from paint and coloured pencils to pebbles, wire and materials for wall hangings. No two sessions need to look the same. Ruth usually arrives with a mini-project inspired by the season or something happening that month, whether that is Halloween, Remembrance Sunday or Christmas. But alongside the main idea are always other materials and other choices.

If somebody wants to follow the project, they can. If they would rather do something different, they can do that too. And sometimes putting coloured pencil to paper is enough. “There is never any pressure to do anything,” she explained. “Fundamentally, it’s about providing an opportunity for everyone.”

That flexibility is particularly valuable at Heanton because every family member is different. For those living with a Dementia, having the freedom to engage in their own way means the focus remains on the person, rather than on completing a particular activity.

Ruth thinks carefully about how each project can be adapted, with different ways to take part depending on the person. She also considers movement and multisensory elements and uses gentle conversation and prompts where these can support somebody to engage with what is happening around them.

For her, art is particularly suited to this because there is no single right way to take part. “Art can involve everyone regardless of skill level or background,” she said. “It truly has no limitations or barriers to entry.”

And while there is usually plenty to display by the end of a session, Ruth says what happens while everyone is creating can be just as important as what is eventually made. There have been sessions filled with conversation and others where people have started singing while they work.

She has seen residents (who the home fondly refers to as family members) become absorbed in what they are doing, work through creative problems and make their own choices about what comes next. “I think everyone who takes part gains a little something from the activities,” she said. “I have seen definite mood changes and positive changes in their energy and outlook.”

One of the things she particularly enjoys is seeing family members and team members creating alongside one another. “I love seeing the rapport between the family members and their carers, it’s quite special,” she said. “We have had some lovely sessions of laughing and singing alongside making.”

Art has been part of Ruth’s own life since she was very young, although her route to becoming a professional artist was far from conventional. Largely self-taught, she decided to pursue art professionally in her early thirties following a varied career that included mountain leadership, running a King’s Trust programme and working as a Special Educational Needs Teaching Assistant.

She now has a studio at Krowji in Redruth, where she creates large contemporary paintings and is currently working on a project incorporating installation and audio.

But every time she returns to Heanton, her focus shifts from her own work to what can be created together. And whether ten family members gather around the table or just one person decides to spend some time making something with her, Ruth says the number has never been what matters.

“Just being there, giving opportunity, choice and accessibility is partly why I want to do this,” she said. “Every mark they make in my eyes is a success. It’s not the outcome necessarily, but the process and the act of trying.”

Two and a half years on from that first visit, the paints and pencils may change with each workshop, but Ruth returning to create alongside family members has become a familiar and much-loved part of life at Heanton.

For more information about Heanton Nursing Home activities please visit Activities in Care – Heanton Nursing Home

From Cuddly Encounters to Creepy Crawlies at Ilfracombe Nursing Home

An unusual collection of visitors recently arrived at Edenmore Nursing Home, based in North Devon, as family members (residents) welcomed some furry, feathered and scaly friends from Exmoor Zoo.

Those interested in taking part came together in one of the home's lounges, where they eagerly awaited the arrival of Exmoor Zoo's Stephen Eddy and Caitlin Hannam, who had brought along several animals for everyone to meet, with the opportunity to hold or stroke them if they wished.

Among the visitors were a barn owl, a meerkat, a snake and a few creepy crawlies, including a stick insect and a cockroach. The latter wasn't quite as popular with Home Manager Gayle Cooper, who wasn’t keen to get too close!

As each animal was introduced, Stephen shared interesting facts about its habits and characteristics, with family members Jillian, Colin, Peter and Don particularly keen to ask questions and learn more. The afternoon was as informative as it was interactive, with plenty of opportunities to get a closer look at animals they might not ordinarily encounter.

Another talking point was a giant shed snakeskin, which was passed around for everyone to hold and feel. Its size prompted plenty of interest, although it was the meerkat and barn owl that proved to be the stars of the day, with family members taking turns to gently stroke them.

Jillian, who has a particular love of animals, had been especially looking forward to the visit and was all smiles when it was her turn to stroke the barn owl and took a keen interest in learning about the different animals. After the experience, Jillian decided she’d quite like to stay downstairs a little longer to look out at the sea from the home’s conservatory.

The afternoon also welcomed a younger and more regular visitor, Home Manager Gayle's grandson Flynn, who was eager to take part in the animal encounters. Flynn and his older brothers have grown up regularly visiting Edenmore and spending time with family members, becoming familiar faces around the home.

Flynn was particularly taken with the meerkat, enjoying the chance to stroke him, before sharing a cuddle with family member Carol, who is especially fond of children.

For those with a lifelong love of animals, like Jillian, the visit was a chance to continue enjoying an interest that has always been part of their lives, while others appreciated the opportunity to discover something new and experience a slightly different afternoon!

Edenmore Nursing Home offers 24-hour nursing and residential care on the North Devon coast. To learn more about life at Edenmore, visit www.edenmorenursinghome.com

Hatherleigh Nursing Home Celebrates Harvest with Soup and Song

A harvest blessing, singing and homemade soup brought people together as Hatherleigh Nursing Home welcomed the local community for its Harvest Festival celebration.

The dementia care home, based in Hatherleigh, Okehampton, hosted family members (residents), relatives and visitors in its Belvedere Lounge. The afternoon began with the blessing before the choir took over, with family members following their hymn sheets and joining in with the singing.

With farming such a part of life in Hatherleigh and the surrounding villages, harvest has a place in the town’s agricultural traditions. The celebration brought that connection into the home, recognising the work that goes into growing and producing the food we eat.

The kitchen team served homemade butternut squash soup with crusty bread, followed by jam tarts and plenty of cups of tea.

The home, which offers 24-hour dementia nursing care, residential care, respite care and complex care, continues to support the people who live there through connection with the local community and its traditions, all while striving to create a home-from-home environment.

 If you would like to learn more about Hatherleigh Nursing Home, please visit: https://www.hatherleighnursinghome.com/lifes-journey-continued-2/

Heanton Nursing Home Gets into the 80s Groove

Leg warmers, neon tutus, oversized hair and inflatable guitars took over Heanton Nursing Home as residents (who the home fondly refers to as family members) and team members turned back the clock for a day inspired by the 1980s.

But the transformation had actually begun the night before.

While family members slept, Heanton’s night team got to work transforming the home, so that by morning everyone woke up to colourful decorations, cassette tapes, disco-inspired displays, balloons and a ‘Back to the 80s’ photo booth ready for the day ahead.

Team members threw themselves into the theme too, arriving in everything from neon beads and fingerless gloves to shell suits, wigs, leg warmers and tutus.

The day included an 80s-themed Zumba session, music, dressing up and plenty of opportunities for everyone to get involved. Inflatable guitars, microphones, saxophones and boom boxes quickly became part of the outfits, while the photo booth captured some of the more elaborate looks.

One of the day’s best throwbacks, however, came from one of Heanton’s Maintenance team, Ian. He arrived sporting a long blonde wig for the occasion before producing a photograph of himself from the 1980s, revealing that his real hair back then looked remarkably similar.

Home manager Abigail Denford said: “It was incredible to see the whole home come together. Our night team put so much thought into transforming everything while family members were asleep, so they genuinely woke up in the 80s. Seeing their reactions that morning, and then watching family members and team members dancing, dressing up and enjoying the music together, was really special. These are the days that make Heanton feel like a family.”

For Heanton, days like this are less about putting on an activity and more about creating a home where the people living and working alongside one another can share experiences, be themselves and have some fun together. With music playing, family members reaching for the inflatable guitars and team members embracing some questionable 80s fashion choices, Heanton spent the day firmly back in the decade of big hair, bright colours and even bigger accessories.

Heanton Nursing Home, based in Heanton Punchardon near Barnstaple, supports people living with a Dementia and other complex needs, with an approach centred around understanding the person beyond a diagnosis and creating a place that feels like home. 

 

For more information, please visit  Dementia, Complex, Respite, and Residential Care in Devon

 

Roberto's Chair Zumba Brings Joy to North Devon Care Home

Edenmore Nursing Home has been enjoying their Chair Zumba sessions from Robert ‘Roberto’ Campbell for a number of years now, with family members (residents) lighting up every time he walks through the door.

Roberto has been leading Zumba sessions for over 20 years, starting out by teaching people living with disabilities and church groups, where he saw first-hand the benefits of movement in combination with music. Believing people living in nursing and care homes could benefit from a similar approach, Roberto began taking his sessions into homes too.

Unlike a traditional Zumba class, where learning and following fixed routines may take centre stage, Roberto’s sessions at Edenmore use gentler movements and are shaped by the mood in the room, allowing him to adapt the pace and approach as he goes. They are more about supporting wellbeing with music and movement, rather than purely physical exercise.

Family members who choose to take part do so in their own way. Some tap their feet from their chairs or sit with their eyes closed, nodding along to the beat, while others sway hand-in-hand with someone beside them or get up on their feet. For many, music has the power to evoke positive and familiar feelings linked to their past, such as favourite songs from a happy time in their life.

Family members Harry, Diana, Carol and Anthony particularly love these afternoons. Although Anthony isn’t always able to dance up on his for feet for too long before getting tired, his feet start tapping and he starts singing as soon as he sees Roberto. Harry and Diana have a lovely dance together, talking and smiling at one another as they sway, holding each other’s hands.

One memorable afternoon, Carol decided to get up to stand at the front of the room and sing the song that was playing to everyone!

Sessions are held in one of the home’s lounges, with family members from Edenmore’s different households encouraged to come together and take part. The household model approach means people with similar care needs live in smaller communities within the wider home, while still having opportunities to spend time with people from other households.

Edenmore is also preparing to open its newest household, The Quays, which will welcome people who are self-funding.

Home Administrator Emma shared about these sessions, ‘Roberto is always so happy and vibrant. He doesn't just come in and put some music on. He is totally involved and talks to everyone, getting as many family members up dancing as he can. Even the team can’t resist joining in!’

Activities like these at Edenmore give family members different ways to spend an afternoon together and socialise, with the music and movement naturally prompting laughter, conversation and interaction.

 

Edenmore Nursing Home offers 24-hour nursing and residential care by the North Devon coast. To learn more about life at Edenmore, visit www.edenmorenursinghome.com

International Food Tasting Event

Sundial Care Home near Sidmouth recently held its annual international food tasting event, with team members bringing in homemade dishes from around the world and from their own heritage to share with family members (residents) and the rest of the team.

The event is a chance to celebrate the different cultures through food within the residential care home, with everyone encouraged to taste something they may not have tried before. It also gives team members an opportunity to bring something personal from their own lives into the home, whether that is a favourite dish, a family recipe or food connected to their culture.

This year, the table was filled with chicken noodles, balti curry and rice, samosas and bhajis, followed by brownies and flapjacks. Rather than a usual lunchtime, plates and dishes were passed around the table for people to sample, with conversation naturally turning to the different flavours and ingredients.

There was also a homemade lassi made with yoghurt, mint, coriander and pepper, traditionally enjoyed after curry to refresh the palate. The drink proved particularly interesting for those tasting it for the first time and prompted plenty of discussion about what went into it and the different food traditions people had experienced over the years.

The international food tasting also reflects the wider community within Sundial, where people from different backgrounds spend their days together and get to know one another beyond their everyday routines. Bringing a dish from home is one small way for team members to share a part of who they are with the people they live and work alongside.

Regular events like this are an important part of the community at Sundial, bringing family members and team members together and strengthening the sense of belonging within the home.

If you would like to learn more about Sundial Care Home, please visit: https://www.sundialcare.com/activities-in-care/