Spreading Christmas joy
This time of year means different things to different people. We don’t all observe Christmas, but we do all come together to celebrate the gifts of friendship, food, festivities and traditions.
For our elderly residents, traditions are a huge part of their past that hold treasured memories. We help to keep these memories alive with a range of seasonal activities, some old and some new.
Across our homes this is a very special time of year for us all, and we start preparations pretty early on!
Our residents have kicked off the festive season with the peculiarly British Stir-Up Sunday ritual. Since Victorian times, the last Sunday before Advent is the day when traditionally families get together to prepare the Christmas Pudding, an essential part of the traditional English Christmas lunch.
Most families have a favourite recipe often handed down over generations, sometimes coins are added to the mixture too. The basic idea is that each family member gets to stir the mixture and make a wish.
At Elizabeth Finn Homes our fabulous Catering teams have their own recipe and got together with staff and residents on Stir-Up Sunday to create Christmas puddings full of love, memories and wishes. We left out the coins!
This is just one of many events that highlight the importance of keeping traditions alive, even more important in care homes where our residents are not in their own homes or with their relatives.
We take the upmost care to plan and implement activities that incorporate the meaning of this time of year, that allow all our residents a sense of belonging and to emphasise that each of our homes is one big family unit of which they are all a part.
Communities come together, to unite and provide support and joy to each other, to share memories and make new ones. Each of our homes has strong ties with the local community who are actively involved in our daily and weekly programmes. We also welcome family members and friends to join us as often as they can.
Following Stir-Up Sunday we have a lot of other activities and preparations that our residents can get involved in, in one way or another. It is the importance of taking part and being in the company of others which we encourage through these activities and we provide opportunities for everyone if we can.
Our residents are busy making cards, some including their own drawings and art, and beautiful seasonal wreaths with foliage from our gardens. Our homes are being decorated with traditional trees and garlands, even paperchains which many remember from childhood.
We have added some lighting too, lighting up the communal spaces with a warm, festive glow, to make our homes feel more homely and inviting. It also helps invoke a sense of belonging.
This time of year it is especially important that our residents and staff feel they belong, that they are loved and cared for. Keeping traditions alive in our homes goes a long way to ensuring this happens.
