Friends of Aston House

The Friends of Aston House brought joy to the residents of Aston House Care Home by purchasing 40 Easter eggs, ensuring that each resident received a sweet treat to celebrate the holiday. The gesture was met with much appreciation and gratitude from the residents, as it added a touch of festivity and excitement to their day.

When the residents received their Easter eggs, their faces lit up with smiles. The simple pleasure of unwrapping the eggs and savouring the delicious chocolate brought back fond memories of past Easters, evoking feelings of nostalgia and happiness. For many residents, these Easter eggs were a symbol of kindness and thoughtfulness, reminding them that they are cared for and valued.

The distribution of the Easter eggs also served as an opportunity for social interaction among the residents. As they gathered to receive their treats, there was a palpable sense of camaraderie and joy. Conversations were sparked about favourite Easter traditions, childhood memories, and the different ways each person has celebrated the holiday over the years. This shared experience helped to strengthen the sense of community within the Aston House, making the day even more meaningful.

By providing these Easter eggs, the Friends of Aston House not only brought a sweet surprise to the residents but also created a moment of connection and celebration. Their efforts demonstrated the power of small acts of kindness to bring joy and brighten the lives of others. The success of this Easter treat initiative has inspired the Friends of Aston House to continue finding ways to bring happiness and a sense of occasion to the residents, ensuring that every holiday feels special and memorable.

The Friends supplied an array of delicious cakes and the residents  really enjoyed the conversations with the Friends whilst enjoying hot drinks and tasty cakes. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and it was great for residents to spend the time with volunteers.

On Thursday 28^th September the garden barbecue was organised for the residents of Aston Care Home and their relatives. Thanks to Fassnidge Trust the Friends were able to supply the home with the food for the barbecue to the value of £495. This included burgers, hot dogs, buns, sauces, salads, different types of meats, alcohol and soft drinks, cakes and cupcakes, chocolates, crisps and more. Everyone really enjoyed the lovely day, food, drinks and the atmosphere.

The Friends of Aston House were delighted to receive a grant of £1000 from the Tesco Community Grants. The money will go towards multi-sensory equipment for residents in Aston House Care Home, helping them have a happier life and release from  the symptoms of dementia.

Items funded include:

• garden items such as outdoor 7-seat lounge dining set, garden benches, barbecue.

• multisensory items such as LED light projector sensory stimulator, interactive LED touch bubble tube.

• celebrations activities such as summer barbecue celebration items and Christmas stockings.

David Wood, Chairman, said “We are really grateful to the Trustees of Fassnidge. Relatively small sums of money can make huge difference to the lives of residents of care homes. Thank you to Fassnidge for helping us make the difference.

Many residents in the home have no relatives, therefore the essential items like toiletries are always really needed.  Friends were able to purchase toiletries including shampoos, shower gels, deodorants and razors. Residents and staff really appreciate this support from Friends.

Friends of Aston House wish all the residents and staff a very Merry Christmas

The Friends of Aston House are delighted they were recently able to get a few additions over to the care home. Residents have, in fact, received a blossom tree, a karaoke machine, and an afternoon tea set.

The blossom tree is now making the conservatory at Aston House even more beautiful. Among the best rooms at the care home, the conservatory provides plenty of natural light and great views of the home’s garden. Both residents and staff truly appreciated the tree, and some relatives that recently visited the care home have already given positive feedback about it.

Residents were very happy to receive the karaoke machine and the afternoon tea set too. Singing anything from famous hymns to the songs that defined their generations, they love a karaoke session as it lifts their spirits and brings back fond memories. Of course, a nice cup of tea just makes everything better!

With the weather starting to get better and better, residents are excited about spending more time in the care home’s garden. Residents love that space as they can relax and receive their visitors while they enjoy some fresh air. Plus, as many of them had a garden of their own, they love looking after the one they now have at the home.

Friends of Aston House were happy to purchase some garden equipment which will improve the home’s outdoor space and keep residents entertained. Namely, they were able to buy a garden shed, where staff and residents will store their tools, etc., and the outdoor game Kinect 4, which will bring some fun to residents and also help keep them active.

That is the case with the Aston House Care Home, where they can discuss ideas with Seema, the home manager. Seema has been working at Aston House for almost fifteen years, covering different roles; she truly understands residents’ needs, and Friends are happy to liaise with her and her team, knowing that the feeling is mutual. “Our relationship is great,” Seema says. “We understand each other, and they understand our needs straight away”. Friends were delighted they could recently raise funds through the Co-op Community Fund and purchase garden furniture to improve residents’ lives at Aston House.

When it comes to receiving visits and relaxing in general, residents love calm areas. Aston House has both an indoor and an outdoor garden that serve those purposes, with the outdoor one becoming ever more essential during the pandemic. Friends have been happy to enrich that space by using raised funds to buy a gazebo and a sofa set. The sunproof and rainproof pergola immediately added to the residents’ experience, improving their enjoyment and relaxation in the open. With coronavirus restrictions lifting, moreover, staff at Aston House could slowly allow more visitors in, and the newly set space served as an added area to receive them. Seema explains that they can now accommodate two families instead of one, thanks to the gazebo area.

The sofa set also made a huge difference. Inside the care home, residents usually sit on comfortable chairs with cushions, but going out to the garden, they would generally be on wheelchairs or garden chairs, which do not feel quite as soft. That changed as soon as the sofa set arrived at the care home, and Seema received excellent feedback from residents and families straight away. Everyone agrees it was a great idea, something that is helping them in their daily lives. One of the visitors went so far as to explain to Seema that their family member would usually stand up multiple times during a visit; instead, they could now spend almost two hours chatting and sitting on the sofa as it was very comfortable. “They were thrilled,” Seema remarks. “And they were quite emotional in telling me that.”

Friends of Aston House are glad to hear that their support contributes to the well-being of residents and the experience of staff and visitors at the care home. Friends are delighted to turn plans into reality thanks to systems like the Co-op Community Fund, allowing groups and organisations to support their local communities effectively. For the future, they are looking forward to having volunteers going inside the care home again, whose help staff and residents truly appreciate. They are already discussing new ideas, and they are happy to do so with Seema and her team, whom they have been cooperating with for years and who sincerely share Friends’ passion and effort, having residents’ happiness at heart.

Following the lockdowns, Tesco set up a short-term fund to support local communities: the Tesco Bags of Help COVID-19 Communities Fund. It provides £500 to organisations supporting vulnerable groups. The Friends of Aston House are delighted to announce they have received the funding.

With the money, Friends were able to buy tablets, Bluetooth speakers and a karaoke machine. These items will help reduce residents’ isolation, provide them with entertainment, and aid them in their physical activities.

Reducing isolation and helping residents stay active is especially important during challenging times like those we’re currently living. Hence, the Friends of Aston House truly appreciate programmes like the Tesco Bags of Help, which allow organisations to make a real difference and positively impact lives.

Without the ability to receive visitors, not only are residents unable to spend time with their loved ones, but also without that favourite brand of tea, or their preferred toiletries: those often brought by friends and families when visiting. St John’s Church, in Hillingdon, have been doing their best to fill that gap, gathering and donating essentials to Aston House.

Caroline, of St John’s, was pleased to be able to provide the support. Having signed up, like many, as a volunteer NHS responder in the early part of the pandemic, Caroline felt at a loss when she did not receive any calls. “There is a desire in the local community to help, but some people are just not quite sure how to go about it.” With Friends of Aston House, St John’s have continued their support in their local community with regular donations of essential items being made. It has been so difficult to maintain any sense of normality through this turbulent period, and hopefully by providing residents with their preferred toiletries, some of their small comforts can be continued. Knowing that there are people, often strangers, in the local community who want to support you, is a great source of comfort, especially for those isolated from their loved ones.

Work like this, carried out in the local community, is at the heart of what Friends of Care Homes do. The time contributed by Caroline and others at St John’s goes a long way, not just in brightening the day-to-day, but also in building communities that can improve the quality and variety of the lives of residents in care homes in the future.

The money will go towards items such as tablets to ease the isolation so residents can keep in touch with their friends, relatives and volunteers via Skype or Zoom. It will also go towards TV and  portable radios as residents really enjoy watching their favourite TV programmes and  listening  to the radio. Part of the fund will be used to buy  toiletries such as shampoos, showers gels and disposable razors.

Dear Care Home Friend,

In less than a month it feels like everything has changed. As I was looking at my diary for March, we had committee meetings planned for most homes, and lots of volunteers on the brink of starting. I did get to a Dementia Cafe in very early March but within days we were having to look at everything differently.

In all homes, we have no volunteers going in. Understandably, most care homes won’t even allow families to visit residents except in very extenuating circumstances.

We regularly hear from volunteers who want to help, to continue to do something to support the residents and staff of the home that they are supporting. If any of you have any thoughts about something volunteers might practically do, please let us know.

So what are we doing? The King’s Fund, where our offices are located, shut down  at very  short notice. The last few hours looked a bit like we are passengers on the Titanic grabbing the essentials for an unknown period in the lifeboats. At this point, the care homes support team are all set up to work from home.

You may continue to hear from Sona who is totally reviewing and updating all our records relating to volunteers. We are contacting some as part of the process. Also we are continuing to have regular enquiries from people who want to get involved once we come out the other side of this current situation. We are processing their applications, taking up references etc.

Alongside this Said and Kim are getting the financial records up to date. Today is the last day of the care home groups financial year, so there is plenty to do to prepare the draft accounts.

Alongside this we are continuing to look for funders who might support the projects you have told us you would like to do.

So, while perhaps less physically present, we are continuing to work hard to ensure these projects are in the best position they can be, once we return to practical day to day volunteering in the homes.

Once again, if you have any ideas on what else we might do now, do get in touch. In the meantime, do stay safe and well.

With very best wishes

Nichole Wheaton

Head of Projects Delivery

Tel: 020 7307 2570

Email: nichole.wheaton@attend.org.uk

Web: www.attend.org.uk

Lots of weeding, pulling up summer beddings, pruning and cutting Bach of shrubs helped get the back garden for the winter.

Over 300 bulbs were planted ready for the spring, including daffodils, crocus and snowdrops. We were also able to plant some shrubs, including rose bushes, as well as new winter beddings including pansies and cyclamia.

With special thanks to Seema, Laura and the team at Aston for making us all feel so welcome.

They had made two initial visits, and this was the culmination of their challenge.

During their visit, they:

• Weeded and watered the garden
• Set out garden ornaments
• Played games in the lounge
• Painted the nails of residents on both floors
• Helped to organise a party for residents
• Bought in their own pets (dogs) to introduce them to the residents

Alongside this they set themselves a generous fundraising target of £1000 to buy something to improve the everyday lives of residents. The aim was to make a significant contribution to the new gazebo that residents had identified as giving them shelter in all weathers in the garden.

The project was born following a series of consultations with family members and carers of the care home residents, and the residents themselves who indicated a strong need for introducing a service that focused on their wellbeing and their relationships with the local community, so the project creates a platform for residents to have more social interactions and activities.

We will train volunteers to provide companionship and emotional support as well as 1:1 relationships with elderly residents who can often fell overlooked by society. We believe that introducing the Connecting Communities project at Aston House will not only build a stronger local community, but will also benefit the residents who have requested more activities.

Local residents will play a key role in the establishment of the project. Providing this opportunity for people to make a difference to their elderly neighbours can break down islands within the local community. Local residents will be given the chance to connect and spend time with older residents. The initiative will strengthen the community as local volunteers learn from and engage with the older generation in a humbling experience. This project is a chance to learn that care homes are not places to be afraid of or to avoid. For the residents, it is a chance to see new faces, discover different interests and stories and, as a result, make each day different.  Fostering social interaction and commitment to looking after each other is a vital step in growing healthy and strong communities.

Residents and visitors can relax at the bright, green sensory space whenever they feel they need a quiet space to rest or to spend some quality time with family members or even for activities.

The process of the project first started off in simple terms, with empty boxes containing pictures of green leaves to reflect the look of a garden, but which then turned into large green faux leaves to produce a more realistic and visually pleasing indoor garden for Aston House.

The Care Home staff and residents really appreciate the help and funding of the Friends group and are delighted with the results that unfolded in front of them.

Jessica originally decided to volunteer because she wanted to get some experience working with the elderly. She had previously done some volunteering in primary school and “wanted to get experience from the other end of the age spectrum.”

During Jessica’s time at the care home, she paints the residents’ nails, reads them newspaper articles and plays cards with them. These activities have allowed her to form connections with the residents as she usually interacts with the same people.

Jessica said she loves working with everyone at the care home, although she said “it was slightly nerve-racking at first,” she had an easy transition as the staff members did not leave her alone with the residents for the first few days. Her colleagues gave her enough time to adapt to the environment and her role until she was confident enough to be completely independent with her work.

Through volunteering, Jessica has gained a few skills that she did not know she had prior to this role. One skill that has been essential to her volunteering is practicing patience with the residents by trying to understand the situation that they are in. Through spending time with the residents, she has learned that it can be a bit difficult to talk to or to understand what they are trying to say at times.

Jessica explained that the two qualities that should be carried by anyone who wishes to help residents at care homes are being understanding and empathetic. These skills are especially important when working with those who suffer from dementia or any sort of memory impairment.

The biggest thing that Jessica has gained from volunteering is the realisation that, “there are people out there who do not have the same mental capacity or do not understand the world the way you do.” Her time spent at Aston House have definitely inspired her plans for the future. “I definitely want a job working with people now,” she said.

Jessica’s advice to those who are considering volunteering would be to, “just go for it because it is a good experience to have and gives you skills that you did not realise you needed beforehand.”

Leaves were cleared away, hedges trimmed, and fences coated. The aim was to make everything tidy for the winter and the group also spent time planting 200 bulbs ready for next spring.

The group brought in Christmas boxes they had made for the residents and also a record player they had brought so the residents could make use of the homes record collection.

Some of the young people had brought in homemade cakes to share as they wanted to spent time with the residents having afternoon tea and chatting

The first day time began with a session on getting to know the home and David Wood ran a short session on dementia awareness. The group then met and spent time with the residents in some of the lounges.

One the second day the group returned much to the delight of the residents. The group brought musical instruments and performed and chatted with residents. It was good to see the young people interacting with residents and both the young people and the residents thoroughly enjoyed the Halloween party.

They group are going to work on Christmas care packages for residents and will bring them back in November when they come to do a painting and gardening project at the home.

As part of his role, he is patron of each of the friends groups in care homes.

Pictured here, he is talking to Nichole, project manager, and Kahlil who is newly appointed to the team. He was delighted to hear of the progress to date.

The church are always looking for new way to be a good neighbour to people in need and has invited the Friends to talk about the work they are doing and consider how the church could be more involved at Aston House.

The attendees then had a group discussion to discuss their response to this. The following points were made:

• Should examine positively how we can engage with the home
• Volunteer group to visit home
• Hold regular events e.g. coffee mornings
• Pray
• Music
• After Church visit
• Hold Church service at home
• Take nativity/play to the home
• Monthly communion service

The Friends are looking forward to working more closely with the church to develop their contribution at the home

The group had already done some fundraising and bought painting equipment and paint with them. The plan for the day was to tidy up the gardens and car park and paint the fences and garden benches.

On the day the young people split into groups,  some to focus on the back garden area and the others to work in the car park and at the front of the home. One particularly laborious job was stripping the ivy from the fence in the car park but the groups persevered in the heat.

There was lots of tidying up and painting to be done and the home provided plenty of ice cold drinks on what was one of the hottest days of the year. The Friends provided additional paint and gardening equipment.

Everyone met in the garden for lunch. The home provided a delicious spread with, pizza, chips, sandwiches and other nibbles and then cornetto’s to finish

After lunch the team got back to work finishing off the painting and tidying up.

It was great to see the difference the efforts of everyone had made. The garden was tidier and the newly painted fences and benches really looked fresh and clean.

We were pleased to hear that the group thought the home was a lovely environment and had enjoyed their day with us as we really enjoyed having them.

She plans to study Psychology at University next autumn, but is currently now finishing her gap year that she took after secondary school. During her A-Levels, Maisha researched and completed a project on the placebo effect, relating it to Psychological disorders, including Depression and Dementia.

Maisha volunteers at Aston House every week because she wanted to volunteer at a care home that specialised in Dementia. The care home is about an hour away from her house and it requires her to take two buses to get there, but she said “there is not a single day I regret making this journey.” It has been easy for her to build and form relationships with the residents, after helping and caring for her grandmother who has battled depression for many years now. There are differences between the two illnesses of depression and dementia, but there are many similarities as well.

Even though she has had experience with caring for the elderly, her time at Aston House Care Home has been different in many ways. The biggest benefit she says is the feeling of love she gets when she sees her resident’s smile after they have just had an hours long conversation about each other’s past time, but the worst part about it all is when she returns the following week and the resident does not remember that conversation. Her passion and drive to improve the lives of the residents has grown since she started volunteering, which is why she loves organising different activities each day.

In the beginning, forming the relationships was easy, but keeping the residents attention can be challenging. Also, finding new activities that they would all enjoy each week has been tough, but as she got to know the residents better and learned what they enjoyed this became easier, while also communicating constantly with the Activity Coordinator at Aston House.

After all that her grandmother did for her, she wants to give other grandmothers and grandfathers the same care and love. This is so valuable to their health and well-being on a daily basis.  This volunteer work helped her in her psychology classes and while taking part in various clubs and activities throughout the year. She was moved and devoted to branching out of her comfort zone and meeting and interacting with new people and now has experience when it comes to finishing her degree and possibly moving into a field that will involve psychology and social care for either the elderly or children.