Care home activites


Case study – Nafeesa, art graduate Contact one:Helpline call: Nafeesa, an art graduate who has had to re-think her career because of the impact of Covid- 19, is about to start her new role as an activity coordinator in a care home for people living with dementia. Nafeesa was excited and nervous and decided to do some research into activities for people with dementia and came across NAPA and the number for the NAPA Helpline, which she decided to use. Nafeesa was worrying about being able to think of enough creative activities to fill the week. Nafeesa wanted to know if NAPA had a


sample weekly timetable of activities that she could adapt. She was concerned that she would not be able to engage sufficient residents to satisfy her manager and justify her role. We discussed the relevance of a sample activity plan and how it needed to be person-centred, Nafeesa asked for more detail. I explained it is, for example, tailoring activities to the likes and dislikes, abilities and disabilities and culture of the residents who are taking part in the activities. The conversation covered the types


of activities she could offer while getting to know the residents and that the success of an activity should not be measured by the number of people attending, but by the quality of the interactions. We talked about how activities can help to promote wellbeing. Nafeesa requested more information


as she was not sure she fully understood what ‘wellbeing’ in the contest of working with people with dementia means. She said she thought it might mean being happy. We discussed her approach to staff in the home and how she could work in partnership with her manager to


We have developed resources to support socially distanced activities, memorial activities to say goodbye to those they have lost and considerations to enable singing


ensure a whole home approach to activities. Contact two: Email sent to Nafeesa: I


sent links to NAPA’s free online training, attached some free resources, including a newly developed factsheet about wellbeing and confirmed the salient points we discussed. I recommended a couple of NAPA publications, one of which was for a home manager, providing guidance when instilling a whole home approach to providing activities. Contact three: A week later: Nafeesa


emailed the helpline saying: “I just want to thank you for your help. I had been worried about whether to call the helpline but I’m glad I did”. She had already taken advantage of the online induction course for activity coordinators and was looking forward to signing up for more. Nafeesa said that she could not find


time during the working week to contact the helpline for support, which is why she is now communicating by email. I suggested that she join our private, online support group, as she would have access to this at any time of day. This group provides opportunity for care and activity providers to support each other, share first-hand experiences, challenges, and successes. This group is monitored by the helpline team. Contact four: When a family visit


(through the window) was unsuccessful, Nafeesa found a few minutes during her break to ring the helpline because it had distressed her. A gentleman was led into the hallway and given a chair facing the window. His wife was waiting outside, the carer walked off and left him to it. He did not appear to recognise his wife, looked at the window, hit it and walked away. We discussed what we thought may


have helped, i.e. if the carer had stayed and facilitated the visit, offering a touch or holding his hand, and considered whether a video call, so that he could hear as well as see his wife, may have been more helpful. Contact five: A few days later: Nafeesa


emailed to say that the home had now made it a rule that any ‘window visits’ would be facilitated by a carer or activity provider and that they had tried a video call with the gentleman and his wife and it has been very successful, which led to the


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manager encouraging the use of technology to assist visits where possible. Contact six: Nafeesa sent an email:


“Thank you for all your help and support, I’m feeling excited and inspired and am enjoying getting to know the residents. I am really enjoying the support group and I’m building up to sharing my ideas. My manager has agreed that I can complete the level two qualification in care activity provision – thank you.”


Making music Throughout the pandemic NAPA has developed resources in response to issues as they have emerged. We have developed resources to support socially distanced activities, memorial activities to say goodbye to those they have lost and considerations to enable singing. In November, the Musical Care


Taskforce, co-convened by Music for Dementia and Live Music Now – and working in partnership with and endorsed by NAPA, Care and the National Care Forum - published Keeping Singing In Tune With Covid-19 Restrictions. This resource aims to help carers and care providers decide whether and how to lead singing and music activities, as well as setting out steps in planning and risk assessing a session. ‘Keeping Singing’ highlights why singing


is important, especially during current times. It stresses that it is not about how well you can do it, it is about having a go, joining in, and having fun.


Safe singing Research shows that there are risks associated with transfer of Covid-19 through build-up of aerosol droplets during group singing activity in indoor spaces. However, we know that singing plays an important role in care settings, here we share some tools to help staff make informed choices and decisions about whether and how to sing. There are lots of reasons to sing and these apply to people who work in care as well as those they support across the whole community of settings. The steps below may help to mitigate


some of the risk surrounding singing. It is worth noting that they cannot, in themselves, remove all risk. Here we set


www.thecarehomeenvironment.com• February 2021


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