Take a page out of our book – Quorn care home residents revisit favourite hobbies

Residents at a care home in Quorn have been revisiting their favourite hobbies and shared their skills with the younger generation. 

Residents at Care UK’s Lonsdale Mews, on Farley Way, have been stepping back in time to enjoy poetry as part of a nationwide initiative – Long Lost Hobbies. 

The ‘Long Lost Hobbies’ initiative sees residents in Care UK homes across the country share their favourite hobbies and try new pastimes with younger generations after a national survey found 77% of adults feel technology is the cause of traditional skills being lost, including flower arranging, knitting and woodworking.

To ensure the hobbies of older generations are not forgotten, residents at Lonsdale Mews have been getting to the knitty-gritty and unwinding what makes their favourite pastime so enjoyable. The Quorn Shakespeare poetry group and Quorn Women’s Institute came to the home to recite some sonnets and poems. This, alongside residents’ favourite poems, inspired an original Lonsdale Mews poem to be created with the residents.

Toby Sturgess, Home Manager at Lonsdale Mews, said: “We had a fantastic time taking part in poetry readings here at Lonsdale Mews. 

“For those living with dementia, revisiting a past hobby, such as poetry, can help bring back memories, as well as providing an enjoyable way to connect with others through a familiar activity that once brought joy. These positive feelings gained from revisiting fond memories can help decrease stress, reduce agitation, and provide a feeling of success and confidence. 

“Residents and team members at Lonsdale Mews have loved revisiting their favourite hobbies and discovering new ways to pass the time from younger generations. It has been wonderful to hear residents talking about how they first discovered their favourite hobby and the fond memories this interest created.”  

For top tips on how you and your loved ones can revisit forgotten pastimes or discover new ones, please visit: careuk.com/long-lost-hobbies.

Lonsdale Mews offers full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite. The home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hairdressing salon and café. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.

To find out more about Lonsdale Mews, please call Customer Relations Manager, Jenny Cartwright, on 01509 801 587, or email jenny.cartwright@careuk.com.