Feathered friends visit Eye care home

Home news

Feb 02, 2016

Birds and wildlife of all shapes and sizes were spotted at Hartismere Place care home and day club in Eye last weekend, as part of the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. 

As well as keeping a record of the number and types of birds coming into the garden during a one hour period for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, the home also welcomed a special visit from the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary on Friday 29th January. Residents and club members learnt about birds of prey and, along with young pupils from St Peter and St Paul CE Primary School in Eye, were excited to get close to a friendly barn owl. 

The annual Birdwatch was part of a programme of activities at Hartismere Place and the Hartismere Club, designed to help residents to experience all the sensory benefits of the great outdoors. Over the weekend, residents also decorated bird boxes and were filling bird feeders in the home’s gardens.

Cathryn Weed, home manager at Hartismere Place, explained: “As well as helping to support an important national initiative from the RSPB, the Birdwatch also provided an excellent opportunity for nature-loving residents to either spend time in the garden listening to bird song or to spot visiting birds and wildlife from the comfort of our lounge overlooking the garden. 

“At Hartismere Place we support residents to participate in outdoor and sensory activities as they can boost emotional and physical wellbeing, and help residents to live meaningful and fulfilled lives.  The Birdwatch also proved to be a valuable reminiscence activity for those living with dementia, and everyone enjoyed spotting and naming the many bird and wildlife species which paid us a visit over the weekend.”

For more information on the benefits of getting outdoors for people living with dementia, and practical advice for family carers, pick up a copy on Care UK’s Good To Go guide from Hartismere Place or download it at www.careuk.com/goodtogo. 

To attract more birds to your garden, why not try making your own bird food? Visit www.careuk.com/birdwatch to download Care UK’s fat cake recipe and to see the many varied activities residents at Care UK homes have been enjoying as part of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.