‘I throw myself into everything – we all do’
ED MELIA visits Tansley House Care Home in Derbyshire to see firsthand the remarkable impact learning can have on the lives of people living in care settings and on the staff who work with them
D
espite broadcasters’ best intentions, daytime TV has something of a bad reputation. But, for a significant proportion of our population, day- time TV is often the highlight of the day. I’m talking about people living in care settings. There is a stereotypical image of a care home, the television or radio blaring away and all the chairs in a semi-circle pointing in the same direction. No one talks, except the staff who have rather one-sided conversations. There’s very little, if anything, for the residents to do. As part of its Learning Revolution plan for informal adult learning, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills asked NIACE to write guidance materials for managers of care homes about the impact learning is having – in the care homes that provide activities – on the residents and the staff. It became clear in the course of the project that, given its clear and often transformational benefits, learning should be made available in every care setting in the country. Nowhere is this better illustrated than at
Tansley House Care Home near Matlock in Derbyshire. What has happened there over the past few years has revolutionised the lives of residents, and transformed the business, boosting staff morale and resulting in significant savings – all that through learning activities such as arts and crafts, photography, metalwork, chair-based exercises, textiles and gardening.
These activities provide dignity and enjoyment for residents, three-quarters of whom are in their nineties. This can be as simple as an hour spent looking at flowers, painting a plant pot and potting a plant. Sounds straightforward enough but that’s not to undermine the expertise of the volunteer tutor and professional garden designer, Jan Scott from First Taste, the voluntary organisation that puts on the activities at
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Tansley House – all delivered by qualified teachers.
Beverley Windle, one of the managers, has
been at Tansley House for 15 years. ‘When we took over the running of this home, nothing was really happening and we decided that we wanted to transform it into something,’ she says. ‘We got in touch with First Taste and it’s just snowballed from there. They’ve intro- duced a lot of things that we’ve taken on board, and we’ve grown as well, with it.’ Jan begins the session I attend by passing
around flowers and talking about each one in turn. She does this to get the residents interacting with each other, which some, otherwise, never do. John, for instance, is usually withdrawn but now is wide-eyed as he absorbs the colours, shapes and textures of each flower. ‘If they’re sat in the lounge watching TV they can spend all afternoon and not say anything at all,’ Jan says. ‘But if they’re here, they’re also admiring each other’s work. Quite a few people were saying to John how well he was doing, which is a lovely positive thing for him. He usually doesn’t say very much at all.’ Next, plant pots and paints are handed out. Phyllis can hardly see but she’s helped by Beverley to decorate the top of the pot. Jan lets them choose a plant – a polyanthus – to pot. There are gasps of delight at the variety of colours and they all grab big handfuls of compost and start to pot.
‘It passes time and it keeps your brain working. I was used to gardening but, now that I can’t see, it’s awkward – I’ve enjoyed it,’ Phyllis says. ‘I set quite a few snowdrops in a plant pot outside a couple of years ago and they’re coming up lovely now.’ Jan says: ‘I’m really amazed how much they want to take part in the activities – they’re really keen. You can see just how much they love getting their hands dirty. They love really getting into it. Freda [one of the residents] was saying it was the first time she’d got her hands that dirty for years and she really enjoyed it. ‘Some of the residents who don’t talk a lot will, in one of these activities, interact with other members and with me, and sometimes
”It makes them individuals. They can decide what they want to do. Before, there was absolutely nothing out there”
they’ll come out with memories that really surprise us all. It’s a lot to do with reminiscence, especially the gardening work, because it’s something that people have done, particularly people of this age.’ By far the most enthusiastic participant is
Freda. ‘It’s been so lovely being able to look at the plants and then find a pot and put the
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