Going for gold! Shinfield care home keeps the flame alight for the Olympic Games

With the Olympics and Paralympics getting many in the sporting spirit this August, a local care home has kicked off its very own version of the tournament.  

Residents at Care UK’s Parsons Grange, on Westall Street, brought Tokyo to Shinfield with its own version of the Games, complete with a range of activities designed for residents to reminisce and reflect on their sporting days.  

 

As part of the garden tournament, residents competed against each other and the Parsons Grange team in a range of different sports including tennis and quoits. Ensuring the scene was set for an Olympic occasion, the team decorated the home with balloons and bunting, in addition to thoughtfully created Olympic themed refreshments, including cupcakes and mocktails, for residents to enjoy in between their sporting activities. 

Making sure they were up to date with the 2021 Games, residents explored the similarities and differences of Japanese culture including food, history, values and way of life in a session led by the Parsons Grange team.

Residents were also encouraged to reflect on their own sporting achievements with many reflecting back on their childhood sports days at school. One resident, Phylis, remembered her running successes fondly, including participating in the London marathon in 1994 and 1996 as well as regularly completing both Reading and Wokingham half marathons. 

Phylis said: “I was always a fast runner. I started with short distances and worked my way up. When I was older, I joined a running club with some friends, which was unusual at the time for ladies to do so.

“My advice, don’t over think the distance, just focus on how you need to get from A to B!” 

Anthony Browne, Home Manager at Parsons Grange, said: “The Olympics created a fantastic opportunity to rediscover residents’ own sporting history and passion for all things sport.  

“At Parsons Grange, we encourage residents to live fulfilling lives through regular activities that improve their physical and mental wellbeing, while socialising, discovering new things and building on past experiences. We have some very compeititive residents here, and there were quite a few close calls between gold and silver in our activties. The football may not have come home this summer, but the gold medals and sporting spirit certaintly has to Parsons Grange!”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Parsons Grange care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The layout of the building has been configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help encourage the creation of close-knit communities.

For more information on Parsons Grange, please call Customer Relations Manager, Claire Usher, on 0118 391 3294 or email Claire.Usher@careuk.com.

For more general information, visit careuk.com/parsons-grange.