February was a particularly busy month at Hilgay Care Home. Every month, visits from students from local schools provide much-needed joy and entertainment to the residents. They come together for a few hours of creativity, collaboration, and laughter. Visits to care homes from schools, and in particular young people, help to make our home a more vibrant place. We love to welcome the students from the schools, and the residents have a fantastic time.
Woodlands Meed
Every Monday afternoon, we have the privilege of welcoming students from Woodlands Meed. Woodlands Meed welcomes children from ages 2-17 and works together with knowledgeable and experienced educational staff to provide a highly personalised and creative curriculum, encouraging all students to achieve their full potential. The children and residents take the time to put the world to rights and have a chat together. Sam, our activities coordinator had this to say: “It’s a great opportunity to make connections and help the residents feel part of their local community“.
Evie from Woodlands Meed commented on how enjoyable the experience with Hilgay residents is and how it benefits the children.
“Myself and a colleague attend the weekly trips to the care home with 8 students from years 7-9. All of the students have really enjoyed these visits and we can already see an improvement in their confidence and conversation skills. The students often bring special items or pictures to share with the residents and it is lovely to see them talking about themselves so enthusiastically. The students enjoy the visits so much they have asked to continue the community visits club next term.” This is fantastic news, as we love to welcome the student from Woodlands Meed.
Hurstpierpoint College
Every Tuesday afternoon, students from Hurstpierpoint College come to visit the home. Once again, the students and residents enjoy having lots of chats, with residents telling stories from their lives. Not only do the visits provide some much-needed fun and laughter, but they also allow the students to learn about life in a care home. “We very much enjoy visits from the students” says Sam. “It’s so nice to share stories and have a laugh together”. The children from Hurstpierpoint help to make our residents feel loved and valued. They are so attentive and listen to every word they have to say. We are very thankful to have them visit so regularly.
Janneke, from Hurtspierpoint College explains how this experience benefits the pupils “The Hurst College pupils are very much enjoying their Tuesday afternoon visits to Hilgay Care Home. As part of their Duke of Edinburgh volunteering section, they visit the residents and join them for their activities. The most rewarding aspect for the pupils is to be able to listen to the residents’ stories and the wisdom they contain.”
Little Orchards Childcare
When the Little Orchards Childcare pays one of their visits to Hilgay Care Home, there is never a dull moment. Our residents love it when kids come to visit and play games with them. All of the children are so full of energy. It helps to lift the atmosphere in the home, and is something we look forward to every week. Sam adds “It’s lovely seeing our residents bond with the playgroup kids, they form some wonderful friendships over time”.
Bex from Little Orchards also had this to say:
“Here at Little Orchards Childcare, we pride ourselves on providing a rich and stimulating learning experience for all the children that attend, and that doesn’t just mean inside the nursery building. Giving children opportunities they may not otherwise experience is so important for their early development and makes them curious about the world around them.
I reached out to Sam at Hilgay who was so welcoming and accommodating. Right from our first visit myself, my staff and the children were made to feel very welcome and this helped enormously with getting the children to feel relaxed and at ease there. It wasn’t long before they had made some lovely strong relationships with the residents that we saw regularly. Both Sam and I agreed that for this to work best, the children needed to visit weekly, that way they would grow in confidence and make the most of our time there.
The children enjoy taking things in to show the residents and get some much enjoyment from this shared experience. We often take games with us, puzzles, balloons, and the parachute. We also finish off with a good old sing-song.
Together with Sam, we have recently been discussing more activities that both generations would enjoy doing together, such as playdough, biscuit decorating and painting.”
Why are Visits to Care Homes Important?
Visits to care homes have been proven to be beneficial for both residents and students alike. They help to break up the monotony of life in a care home. Furthermore, they provide some much-needed fun and entertainment. For the students, visits provide them with an opportunity to learn about the elderly population and gain valuable experience in communicating with vulnerable people. We are so thankful to all of the schools that regularly visit us. They truly fill our home with lots of joy!
Furthermore, the regular visits to care homes from local schools help our residents remain as part of the community, reducing the feeling of isolation that can sometimes be felt in care homes. We are also very aware of the importance of visits from family and friends, as some visits from outside of a school setting can really make all the difference to our residents.
We feel so lucky here at Hilgay Care Home that we have such wonderful local schools, playgroups and families in the local vicinity. The visits help to keep our home alive with joy and make it a warm and inviting place for everyone.
Contact Us
If you would like to learn more about our residential or respite services at Hilgay Care Home, then contact us today on 01444 244756 or info@hilgaycarehome.co.uk.
Alternatively, if you would like to organise a visit with the residents at our care home, then please do not hesitate to contact our team.
Article: Phoenix Marketing