At Rose Lodge we believe that one of the biggest risks for people with dementia is boredom, which can result in people ’switching off’ and their cognitive abilities deteriorating. Or they may become restless or display behaviours that challenge us such as aggression, excessive pacing, or shouting out. At Rose Lodge activities are not just about ‘entertainment’. They are informed by research, our understanding of each person’s life history, and a careful assessment of each person’s abilities, using a recognised framework that allow us to determing what kinds of activites may be hepful and enjoyable. A good activities programme can strengthen people’s identity and increase their sense of purpose and wellbeing.

Our activities programme has a number of elements:

Regular communal activities

Many people with dementia find it difficult to orient in time, and that a regular programme of activities can help people with this time orientation. Also it makes it easier for friends and relatives to get involved in activities with their loved one.

	AM	PM
Monday	Daily living activities	Drama Club
Tuesday	Movement and exercise	Manicures and massage
Wednesday	Religious activities	Gardening club
Thursday	Cooking club	Pub Quiz
Friday	Crafts	Piano/Guitar music
Saturday	Games	Film Club
Sunday

We employ a dedicated activities coordinator who arranges a range of 1-1 and small group activities for our residents. This includes playing games such as dominoes or puzzles, craft activities, gardening, poetry, music, reminiscence, or just chatting. It also includes occupational activities which are informed by people’s life history. This may include such ‘activities’ such as gardening, cleaning and doing the dishes, helping to set the table etc, feeding the fish and the laying hens, reviewing minutes of meetings etc. Many of our residents have worked hard all their life and they may not remember that they have retired some time ago. Being involved in ‘work’ can give people in the home a real sense of purpose and satisfaction, preventing ‘challenging behaviours’

Special activities and celebrations

Many people find it difficult to remember what season they are in. So celebrating special dates can help them to orient themselves in the year. We arrange activities and events around special days such as Christmas, Easter, St Georges Day, VE Day etc. Further details are on our 2011 events page.

We also get together to enjoy big sporting events such as Wimbledon and the football world cup and at times like that our TV becomes the hub of our resident community.

Being a part of the community

Being part of the wider community can help many people to maintain a sense of identify and wellbeing. Some our residents particiapte in the regular memory cafe events in Exmouth and Topsham, and we organise outings to the theatre, the beach, and attractions such as the World of Country Life. We also ensure that people who wish to exercise their rights to vote in local and general elections can do so.

 Once a year we hold a garden party and open day when we invite the wider Exmouth community to join us for a relaxing day in the garden. At Chrismas time we hold a photo exhibition about the previous year at Rose Lodge, and this year we also arranged an artist in residence week and a portrait exhibition.

We have very good relationships with a couple of local schools who perform concerts at Rose Lodge around Christmas and Easter time, and in the new year we will be working with the children of a local school to grow vegetables with the residents. In our experience the presence of children always brings a smile to the faces of our residents, and we believe the children also benefit from contact with older people.