The Dormy Voice June 2023

DormyVoice The

Newsletter - June 2023

Feature: Portrait of the Year

Brockington House hosted a wonderful Portrait Artist of the Year competition, a collaboration which brought together its residents and aspiring young artists from local colleges. + News from around the homes

Healthy eating week

Glad to care week

Welcome to the latest edition of the Dormy Voice.

I hope that you and your families are all well and enjoying the glorious weather we have been having – long may it continue!

As always, it’s been extremely busy in all of our homes with lots of events and celebrations. I’m sure that you will enjoy seeing some of the pictures of these events.

And there’s lots more to come over the summer including our gardening competition which is currently being photographed. Judging will take place at the beginning of August so watch this space!

We have also launched our annual Dormy Care Awards which recognises the amazing staff we have working with us. Nomination forms are available in the homes so please take a minute to nominate your superstar staff member or team.

It is fantastic that we are now back to normal life and are able to welcome you into the homes openly.

I would like to thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement. Your feedback is always important to us and I am grateful for any feedback you may have at any time.

Enjoy the summer!

Best wishes

Helen Davies-Parsons Chief Executive Officer RGN, Cert Ed., Dip Pall Care, M.Mgt

Dear Family and Friends,

Without a doubt the biggest event at Pine Martin Grange this Spring was the Coronation of King Charles. We were joined by many relatives and enjoyed a barbeque whilst watching the proceedings live. Everyone enjoyed raising a toast to the new monarch, along with delicious food and musical entertainment. We have also appreciated spending time in our tranquil, shady gardens as the weather has heated up. Our courtyard is the ideal spot for chair yoga, lunch with friends or a bit of peace and quiet to enjoy a book.

Our nail technician Charley is back from maternity leave, and coupled with Sally and her student hairdressers in the salon our ladies (and gentlemen) are all looking fabulous. The salon is definitely one of the busiest areas of the home, and our team are happy to cater to any needs, from a beard trim to a dramatic colour! We have had a number of events in our private dining room – celebrating landmark birthdays, anniversaries and more. It’s wonderful to be able to invite families to join us. Outside of the home, our housekeeping team member Liv has raised over £500 and completed a sky dive for charity – supporting those living with dementia.

Helen Lacey, Home Director

Dear All

We have had lots going on at the home with local students painting our residents, and lots of outside entertainment. We welcomed children from a nursery to dine with our residents and girl guides came to play games with our ladies and gents. We have our gentlemens club run by Gareth, our volunteer.

Our Deputy Home Director is just completing his Level 5 Leadership and Management as is Alex our RGN who has just been promoted to Clinical Lead. Helen Ellis, one of our carers is just completing her apprenticeship. We are having our virtual cruise on 7th August over 4 days. Our PT Wendy is going to teach the staff and residents line dancing. We are preparing for the garden competition and Dormy Care Awards.

A big thank you to our relatives who have been coming in to the home to entertain our ladies and gentlemen with singing, bellringing, choirs and more. We also have relatives bringing in their dogs for pet therapy.

Very kind regards

Shann Thomas, Home Director

It’s been another busy period at Foxhunters so far in 2023 with lots of amazing activities arranged for our ladies and gentlemen, and some great staff achievements as well.

We love to take our ladies and gents out into the community and recently this has involved trips to places such as local garden centres and the beautiful Keepers Pond. We have also teamed up with Monmouth’s Bridges Centre which runs the Cycling Without Age scheme. This allows the opportunity for elderly and less-abled residents of Monmouth to be chauffeured in trishaw bikes by generous, local volunteers, and it’s been lovely to be able to see our ladies and gentlemen being taken out for picturesque rides around the community.

It’s also been great to welcome children from local schools into the home. It’s something everyone looks forward too and it’s a good example of the fantastic links we have established with the wider community in Abergavenny.

We enjoyed marking various awareness days such as Nutrition and Hydration Week, where we had different treats each day from fruity tea to a pint of Guinness, and some very healthy fruit platters, and, more recently, Care Home Open Week which involved inviting people and organisations into the home to interact, stimulate and entertain our ladies and gentlemen.

There are some amazing life stories among those living at Foxhunters and a recently highlight was a talk from Beryl Morgan, who gave a very interesting talk on her life as a forensic scientist. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house!

And our staff continue to do amazing things. It’s always nice to present kindness cups and golden tickets and to support our staff when they do things outside the home, a good recent example being the 42.2 mile ultra-marathon completed by our gardener Alan Jordon, who raised over £250 for the Alzheimer’s Society – a charity very close to our hearts here at Foxhunters.

Leah Mort, Home Director

Bramshott Grange has been a hive of activity as ever so far in 2023 – it’s always wonderful to see the ladies and gentlemen take part in the wide range of hobbies, events, activities and pursuits they enjoy – and try new things too of course!

It’s also been a time to celebrate the fantastic skills of our colleagues here at Bramshott. As well as celebrating our nurses on International Nurses’ Day and our wonderful carers during Glad to Care Week, we have also been cheering on Frank, a member of our superbly-talented kitchen team.

Frank was one of the finalists in the South-West Care Home Chef of the Year competition, an accolade he richly deserves. To impress the judges as much as he impresses us here daily, Head Chef Frank created his speciality of chicken chorizo and seafood paella followed by sticky toffee pudding. Delicious! It’s a menu which always goes down well with the ladies and gentlemen at Bramshott.

It’s continued to be a pleasure to welcome the children of Liphook Junior School as our regular visitors. We all love seeing the children and I know the ladies and gentlemen, as well as the boys and girls, very much look forward to the visits. There’s always lots of chat, some competitive board games, picnics, singing and, of course, cake!

Our activities team are always on the look out for activities or theme days which are fun and engaging. Most recently we have loved planning and developing our nature garden. There have been trips out to gather the right plants and the Art Group have been creating signs by hand. There’s also been building (and decorating) of bat and bird boxes to provide a sanctuary for wildlife and so it has been a Bramshott-wide team effort and we know the final results will be greatly enjoy and valued by everyone.

Bramshott Grange

2023 Nomination Categories

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD

This award reflects community work that helps promote the home, build relationships with local groups and support those locally.

EXCELLENCE IN HOSPITALITY AWARD

This will recognise any staff member who delivers hospitality excellence in the home.

PROMOTING FULFILLED LIVES AWARD

This award is to recognise those who make a difference to the ladies and gentlemen who live within our homes.

SPIRIT OF DORMY AWARD

This award is to recognise someone who really shines and reflects the Dormy values through and through. These individuals go above and beyond every day.

COMPASSION AND DIGNITY AWARD

Recognising those who have truly touched our hearts with their compassion towards our ladies and gentlemen with the support and dedication they show.

CHANGING LIVES AWARD

Making a difference to those in our homes and going above and beyond.

VOLUNTEER AWARD

This award recognises someone who is a volunteer and makes a huge difference to those in our homes.

EXCEPTIONAL NEWCOMER AWARD

This award recognises someone who is new to care and has embraced their new role.

To nominate someone ask for a form from reception or ask your home director.

Good Luck!

Brockington House

Portrait of the Year Competition

Brockington House hosted a wonderful Portrait Artist of the Year competition, a collaboration which brought together residents and aspiring young artists from local colleges. The event is believed to be the first of its kind held by a care home in the UK.

A dozen students from two local colleges – Hereford College of Arts and Hereford Sixth Form College – spent the day at Brockington to create portraits, with some of the ladies and gentlemen acting as models. The final results were simply stunning and judging the winners – a task undertaken by local artist Mark Stewart of Sunrise Giants, Home Director Shann Thomas, the home’s Activities Co-ordinator and organiser of the competition, Tara Chatterley-Russell and Dormy Care Communities Chief Executive Helen Davies-Parsonswas incredibly difficult.

After much deliberation the title of Portrait Artist of the Year, and a Hobbycraft voucher worth £150, was awarded to 17-year-old Darcy Eccleston from Hereford College of Art for his charcoal portrait of Yvonne.

Many of our ladies and gentlemen are gifted and experienced artists or enjoy creative activities themselves. Offering a range of opportunities for people to express their creativity or artistic skills with our Dormy Care Communities is incredibly important, and our activities programmes aim to always offer a variety of outlets for people to do so. This event was very much enjoyed and we hope it will become a regular event at Brockingon House.

Receive £1000 each when you refer a friend to join our team!

When you refer a friend and they join the team you and your friend will receive £1000 each!

*

*£1000 for you and your friend paid after six months (if contracted to work 40 hours or more per week). Under 40 hours payment is paid pro rata. Must declare on application who has referred you. Permanent team members for ANY role.

Brockington House Latest News

As well as the Portrait Artist of the Year competition, it’s been a busy time as ever at Brockington House. The home was delighted to have a backdrop of glorious sunshine upon which to host a wonderful garden p arty. As the ladies and gentlemen gathered in the garden, joined by family and friends, they were treated to a stunning performance from singer Holly Clarke while enjoying delicious refreshments. All in all, a perfect afternoon!

The Brockington Bakers have also been busy donning their aprons and whipping up batches of beautiful cakes and biscuits including classic, good old-fashioned butterfly cakes, strawberry cookies (using home-grown strawberries no less!) and delicious scones.

Music and performance is always very much enjoyed by the ladies and

gentlemen at Brockington, especially if there’s a chance to sing along. We’ve been delighted to welcome a wide variety of entertainers including Galena playing Ukrainian folk music.

As ever, there’s been lots of opportunities for us to get our thinking caps on and enjoy puzzles as well as letting our competitive streak show with a range of hotly contested games from darts and Scrabble to quoits and bowling to Deal or No Deal!

Physical health and keeping active have also been top of the agenda with the ladies and gentlemen getting moving in our Oomph fitness sessions and in our in-house gym.

Brockington House was also thrilled to be featured in the prestigious Knight Frank national guide recognising the finest residential care settings in the UK for the third year in a row.

Foxhunters Latest News

Foxhunters had a lovely reason to celebrate when the home was included in the prestigious Knight Frank national guide recognising the finest residential care settings in the UK.

The guide showcases the top one hundred care homes in the UK and this is the fourth year Foxhunters has featured. It is a fantastic achievement and testament to the dedication of the team at the home have to offering nothing but the very best, exceptional quality care possible.

Earlier in the year we particularly enjoyed our St David’s Day celebrations, which included our very own Eisteddfod; the ladies and gentlemen read the story of St

David as well as poetry by Welsh poets. They also enjoyed singing traditional Welsh songs and eating some traditional Welsh food! For our more artistic ladies and gentlemen there was a felting workshop which used daffodils as inspiration. The creations were fantastic.

The ladies and gentlemen have also enjoyed getting ‘out and about’ using Cycling Without Age’s trishaw, a comfortable and fun way to get around and enjoy all the beautiful local area has to offer!

Bramshott Grange Latest News

The ladies and gentlemen at Bramshott Grange have certainly been keeping themselves busy. A particular highlight has been the regular visits they enjoy from children from Liphook Junior School who pop in to play snakes and ladders, noughts and crosses, dominoes and enjoy a good chat accompanied by some refreshments and cookies. Everyone always enjoys the visits and the ladies and gentlemen always look forward to welcoming them.

The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla was a wonderful reason to enjoy a day of celebrations including, of course, great food, great entertainment and great company. The home also took the

opportunity to celebrate The King’s official 75th birthday with cakes all round!

But the celebration we enjoyed the most was our own birthday party, held to mark the fifth anniversary of the opening of Bramshott Grange. The ladies and gentlemen enjoyed a sumptuous buffet supper and, of course, cake! Pam and Christine, two of the ladies who have lived at Bramshott since the opening of the care community, were presented with flowers. It was a fitting celebration for such a lovely occasion, and very much enjoyed by everyone.

Pine Martin Grange Latest News

Many of the ladies and gentlemen who live at Pine Martin particularly enjoy spending time in the home’s beautiful gardens and outdoor spaces – the summer Gardening Club is particularly popular. As well as those who want to get ‘hands on’ and exercise their green thumbs, their hard work is also a source of great admiration – some ladies and gents very much enjoy taking a stroll around the gardens to see the fruits of their labours close up!

Music and dance are always much enjoyed by everyone at Pine Martin Grange. The home holds regular party afternoon which get everyone singing and dancing along! A recent event featuring singer Karen Grant was a big hit with dozens of people gathering in the bar to enjoy the

performance and the atmosphere. The ladies and gentlemen have been keeping active – both indoors and outside – enjoying some gentle chair exercises as well as some competitive sports too – carpet bowls tournaments and quoits are always popular! Our personal trainer Claire’s exercise classes also get us moving, while our regular ‘brain training’ sessions help us get our thinking caps on too!

Finally, we have to mention one of our most popular visitors to Pine Martin, Rosie! She is a Pets As Therapy dog and her visits are always much anticipated –and very much enjoyed - by the ladies and gentlemen.

Healthy Eating Week

Excellent food and the very best of nutrition are always a focus across the Dormy Care Communities. We believe that every element of our care should be exceptional and that food plays a huge part in that.

We’re delighted to say that, as you would expect, all of our homes hold 5-star hygiene ratings and Bramshott Grange were recently awarded an Elite rating, having held the very highest hygiene 5-star rating three times in a row. And our care communities recently all marked Healthy Eating Week with a wide range of delicious and nutritious snacks and platters created for the ladies and gentlemen to enjoy.

Of course, we think healthy and nutritious food is vital every day, not just during awareness weeks! Dormy Care Communities’ Executive Chef James Thomas said:

“The focus always is on top quality, locally sourced ingredients and creating delicious and healthy meals.”

“Our Chefs are all highly trained and experienced, and they and their teams are constantly evolving menus to make sure they’re offering tasty, tempting and delicious meals every day.

“Each of our kitchens creates at least two fresh soups a day and those are always popular. There’s always three courses with different options available for lunch and dinner, and when the ladies and gentlemen don’t fancy one of those choices, there’s always the ‘something else’ menu to choose from too.

“Many of the more traditional choices are the favourites, pies, roast dinners (offered twice a week), casseroles, prawn cocktails and salmon. The feedback we have from the ladies and gentlemen, which we actively seek out and act upon, is that those are very much enjoyed!

“And while of course healthy eating is important for all of us, where would we be without a treat or two? The freshly baked cakes, scones and biscuits are always very popular too!”

Dormy Care Recipe

Asparagus, Broad Bean & Pea Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 lemon, zest grated, juiced

2 tablespoon chives, finely chopped

1 long red chilli, thinly sliced

375 gram spaghetti

1 cup fresh broad beans

Method

Step One: Step Two: Step Three: Step Four:

2 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into 4cm lengths, split

1 cup fresh peas

250 gram ricotta

4 poached eggs

In a small jug, combine oil, zest, juice, chives and chilli.

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water following packet instructions. Add asparagus, beans and peas for last minute of cooking time.

Drain pasta and vegetables. Return to pan with chive mixture and ricotta. Toss well and season.

Divide pasta among four serving bowls. Top with a poached egg.

Glad to Care Week

We recently marked Glad to Care Week, an event held to show carers how much they are appreciated and highlight the significant contribution they make to the lives of the people they care for, and their families.

Across Dormy, our care communities held a series of events to show our appreciation for our carers including bringing in ice cream vans so everyone could enjoy their favourite ice-cream or lolly (a welcome treat during the very hot weather we enjoyed that week!) and breakfast hampers for colleagues too.

During the week we celebrated with Motivational Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Well-being Wednesday and Thankful Thursday which included a lovely variety of ways to mark #GladToCare including tai-chi sessions, fruit platters and sharing reasons we are thankful. Every carer also received a pin badge and key-ring as a token of our appreciation for their wonderful work.

Dormy In Bloom 2023:

Calling All Green Fingered Dormy Care Homes!

It’s competition time again which is the ideal opportunity to create and enchance our beautiful gardens for our ladies and gentlemen to enjoy.

Each of the Dormy homes can enter for the chance to win a £250 prize in the following categories: Best hanging baskets*, best vegetable garden, best residents garden, best patio area. As well as a £500 prize up for grabs for the best overall garden!

Judging will take place at the end of July and the winners will be announced in August. Happy gardening!