Orchard House Care Home

There’s no time like the present: care home residents and staff create a time capsule for Covid-19

August is normally a busy month for care homes with visiting entertainers, large garden parties and day trips out. This year, however, Orchard House Care Home in Wisbech are thinking outside of the box to make August 2020 just as memorable despite lockdown restrictions.

‘Why not put it all in a time capsule’ was the inspiration which struck Activity Co-ordinator Julie one evening at home: “I was planning our August activities and trying to think of how we could remember the events of 2020 so far – it’s defi nitely a year we will never forget!”. The idea of a time capsule was born and the project is now up and running where, throughout August, residents and staff will come together to share their mementos.

Wedding photos, artwork, a telegram from the Queen, photographs, teddy bears, and a cookery book are just a few of the items suggested so far. The residential dementia and nursing home have even decided to include some PPE within the capsule to mark the unprecedented circumstances they found themselves in! Joyce Rowland, a resident who wants to be included in the project, commented,“I would like to put in the time capsule a copy of my wedding photos alongside my bear called Little John as I hope this would be interesting for others to find”.

The media stories surrounding food shortages back in March sparked fond memories of cooking for resident Sylvia Stokes and she explained how she would like to share the positivity forward, “I would like to put some recipes from my favourite cooking book as I loved to cook and host when I was at home.”

Deputy Manager Sarah will be including a picture of her niece Eden and some of the posters she drew for the home to cheer up residents and

staff alike, “Eden enjoyed colouring the pictures for myself, all of the staff and residents which lifted our spirits so it seems a perfect idea to put some of them in our time capsule.” The capsule will also include posters that the residents coloured in to say thank you to key workers and pictures of when Norfolk Fire Brigade came to clap for the carers.

Once completed, the capsule will be placed in their summer house underneath the plaque, ‘Orchard House Time Capsule 2020, a Year Never to be Forgotten’.

It’s not just the global pandemic which the home is keen to remember, but cherished individuals too. Residents, their loved ones and staff are the heartbeat of Orchard House Care Home so when a beloved member of staff suff ered a tragic loss during childbirth earlier in the year, everyone came together to comfort them and their family.

In support of their colleague, the Orchard House family are going to be helping to raise funds for a Maternity Bereavement Suite at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, King’s Lynn. In August, the home will be holding a fund-raising extravaganza with fun activities, music and a cake sale. The day will conclude in a live auction in a bid to raise vital funds for this much-needed service. If any local business would like to help by donating to the auction, please contact our Admin on 01945 223 874 or you can donate directly via this link.

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