Residents at Tor-Na-Dee care home keep busy and engaged with different fun activities that are tailored to their interests.

We believe that when a person is doing activities and tasks they enjoy, and that bring them meaning, they will feel happy and fulfilled. That’s why we find out all we can about each resident, so we can design a lifestyle plan for them that will keep them active and engaged. It’s an approach we call ‘meaningful lifestyles’.

Choice and variety

We have a busy programme of group activities, which includes arts and crafts, games and exercise sessions, and music plays a big part in home life too. Visiting animals – whether they belong to relatives or the Pets As Therapy people – are a highlight. We also have budgies of our own as well as chickens out in the gardens. 

Some residents like to have a little job around the home, whether it’s delivering the daily newspapers to other residents or feeding our chickens. Other residents look forward to our frequent trips out in the minibus when we head to the shops, to a garden centre, museum or the seaside. 

Shaping our shared spaces

Our gardens are a major feature of the home - we've even reached the finals of the National Dementia Awards with what we've achieved with our outdoor spaces. There are wheelchair accessible pathways, a special sensory garden outside our dementia suite, there's a summer house and seating areas and much more. Creating our gardens has been a real community effort. We've had help from the Milltimber Gardening Club, as well as relatives and local school children. 

Enjoying happy times together

Every mealtime is a sociable occasion at Tor-Na-Dee and on Fridays we turn our dining room into a lively café. From time to time we hold special themed lunches and afternoons where we celebrate different cultures. We also love any excuse for a party. We recently celebrated the home's tenth birthday with a big get-together with families and residents.