Howdon Care Centre

Dennis, a resident at Howdon Care Centre in Wallsend, wanted to make his girlfriend Agnes’ birthday a special affair.

He set to work surprising her with flowers and chocolates, before whisking her off to a lovely lunch date, at a restaurant of her choice. Agnes chose to go to the Toby Carvery in Shiremoor, enjoying a lovely roast dinner and cheeky half a pint.

Ruth Todd, Home Manager, said: “This lovely day out epitomises life in a care home. The residents are able to come and go as they please doing activities that are meaningful to them. Our job as the care team is to offer support when it’s needed. I’m glad Agnes was able to enjoy her birthday and Dennis got her wish to surprise her.”

Meanwhile back at the home, the other residents were having some fun Aqua Painting.

Jade Richardson, Personal Activities Leader, explains: “The Aqua Paints are great! You can 'paint' inside the lines and objects will appear but it doesn’t matter if you go out of the lines as a beautiful background will be revealed. One of the gentlemen who was painting told me he felt like he was doing magic, as he was creating all of these beautiful pictures."

Are you looking for a care home in Wallsend? Howdon Care Centre provides support for all types of care including day care, intermediate care, end of life/palliative care, respite care and residential care.

Dementia is set to be the 21st century's biggest killer. But awareness and understanding remains low and many families are facing it alone. That’s why, during the Week, we want everyone to come together and take action. By uniting, we can raise awareness, offer help & understanding and improve care. You can find more information on the Alzheimer’s Society website.

To mark Dementia Awareness Week, Four Seasons Health Care is hosting four guest blogs from our team of dementia experts.

Our final blog takes the form of a poem and comes from Nina Hutchison from Gowrie House care home in Fife.

Nina has supported colleagues in facilitating training modules within the Dementia Care Framework. She has been so inspired by the Dementia care framework, and especially the Dementia Experience, that she wrote this poem about her understanding of how a resident may feel living with Dementia.

Dementia Experience Poem

Walk in my Shoes,

Just for a day,

Feel how I feel,

It’s the easiest way,

The jigsaw is there,

The pieces are too,

They don’t seem to fit

It’s a bit of a do,

Hear what I hear,

And see what I see,

I’m not sure where I am,

But I know I’m me,

Step into my shoes,

The experience may be difficult,

And at times a bit rough

But you can say when you’ve had enough

But this is my life, my everyday world

Some days nice and calm,

And other days a swirl,

The one thing to remember when the experience is done,

Help me with my memories,

And the days that I have none.

The care team at Howdon Care Centre in Wallsend made one resident’s wish come true as they whisked her off to a farm, which triggered many happy memories of her childhood.

Ruth Todd, Home Manager, explained: “Catherine talked of how she loved this time of year, as it’s ‘lambing season’ and how when she lived on a farm she used to help look after the little lambs. So the Activities team decided to take Catherine and a few others to the nearby Whitehouse farm, where they were able to feed the lambs. It was a lovely experience and nice to do something that was really close to Catherine’s heart.”

Catherine said: “I honestly never thought I would be back on a farm, getting my hands dirty. The baby lambs were absolutely adorable.”

Are you looking for a care home in Wallsend? Howdon Care Centre offers support for all types of care including residential care, dementia care, nursing care, intermediate care and day care