Resident engagement
Resident engagement and meaningful activities
Jess Chenery, content executive of sensory solutions and therapeutic resources provider Rhino UK, takes a deep dive into resident engagement in care homes, sharing advice and inspiration on supporting residents’ physical and mental wellbeing effectively
After 18 months of limited contact, connections and conversations, there has never been a greater need for enriching engagement for residents in care homes. According to a recent study, one in six over 65 year-olds admitted that they were more worried about loneliness than they were Covid-19, highlighting the threat of a new wellbeing epidemic across the care sector. Just like remembering to make sure
you have always got a mask and a bottle of hand sanitiser on hand, there are lots of simple steps that you can take in your care home to create stimulating, engaging, and encouraging environments for your residents. Carry on reading to find out what you can do and how improving engagement could not only benefit the wellbeing of your residents but your staff and your care home too.
Person-centred care Before the coronavirus epidemic hit, there had been a growing push toward engagement led care plans in care homes. ‘Person-centred Care’ was a strategy introduced by the Department of Health in 2013 to encourage care homes to offer residents the same level of support as they would if they were living in their own homes. It is a concept that expects residents
to be treated like the individuals they are, where considerations about their history, personality, and abilities are used to craft bespoke care plans that will effectively support their mental and physical health.
Meaningful activities A 2019 study researching care plans in care homes found that 60 per cent of respondents believed that by 2023 their
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main treatment focus would be wellbeing over the provision of care based only on diagnosis. Stemming from this is the recent trend in meaningful activities. Meaningful activities are defined by how they help a resident live each day with purpose. Whether that is looking after the flowers in their garden, organising a monthly coffee morning to raise money for a local charity, or creating a memory box filled with treasured items. They can be big or small, exciting or practical, social or individual, but what is most important is that they are personal. Meaningful activities are most effective
when they are personal and aligned with residents’ hobbies and interests; active, where residents can physically interact with something instead of passively experiencing it; and routine, to provide structure and comfort. For example, you may have a resident
who once played a prominent role in their local horticultural society; by giving them the opportunity to take care of the flowers in your garden, you are motivating
them regularly go outside and physically tend to the plants. What is best is that they will have something impressive to show for their time working on the plot, instilling a sense of purpose and pride in themselves, which is crucial for supporting health and wellbeing. However, purpose is a lot more
than personal pride and a short-term wellbeing boost. A 2012 study by the Rush Memory and Aging Project found care home residents with dementia or other cognitive disabilities who felt they had purpose had a slower rate of cognitive decline and a lower risk of mortality, highlighting the importance of wellbeing not only from a therapeutic position but from a clinical position too. So much so that, in the USA, one indication of care home quality is the extent to which residents engage in meaningful activities - proving its prevalence in care.
Socialising: knit and chat sessions As the gardening example mentioned before, meaningful activities are not
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • October 2021
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