Wellbeing
works best when relationships are allowed to develop naturally. Visits involving babies, toddlers or school-age children require rooms with enough space for movement, pushchairs and play materials. Children need to feel welcome, while residents must be able to take part without becoming overwhelmed by noise or activity. Flexible furniture is helpful, as is a quieter
adjacent space for residents who want to observe or withdraw. Toilets, handwashing, changing arrangements and safe storage should be considered before a group arrives. During school holidays, our home has
hosted a baby and toddler group. The most valuable moments are not necessarily structured activities. They may be a resident watching a child play, a parent stopping for a conversation or several generations sharing a song. The environment should make these informal connections possible. Seating arranged around the edge of a play space, rather than in a separate spectator row, allows residents, children and families to occupy the room together.
Ensuring events benefit residents and visitors Intergenerational work should also be based on mutual benefit. Older people are not props for a children’s activity, and children should not be expected to perform on demand. The aim is to create an ordinary shared experience in which everyone has something to contribute. Events can become important markers in
the year. Garden openings, fairs, seasonal celebrations and performances give residents something to anticipate and create opportunities for families and neighbours to join home life. Our annual pantomime began as a
lockdown tradition and has continued as part of the home’s calendar. A production of this kind can involve residents in many ways, from performing to choosing music, making props, helping with costumes or forming part of the audience. However, events place additional
demands on the building. Temporary staging, electrical equipment, decorations and extra seating can introduce trip hazards or obstruct routes. Capacity, fire safety, ventilation and access to toilets need to be considered at the planning stage. A simple event plan can identify where
equipment will be stored, who will set up the room, how residents will enter and leave, where visitors will sit and how the space will return to normal afterwards. Facilities, care
and activities teams should plan together. When the practical work happens invisibly or falls to one department at the last minute, resident involvement can become harder rather than easier. Safety is essential, but an environment
designed solely to remove risk can also remove opportunity. A resident-led approach asks what support will make an idea possible. That may involve adapting the activity, changing the room, providing equipment, limiting numbers or agreeing individual support. Risk assessments should be proportionate
and specific. A general assumption that an activity is unsuitable for older people can quickly narrow the life of a home. Equally, enthusiasm should not override residents’ needs, consent or dignity. The most useful conversations bring
together the resident, care staff, activities colleagues, families where appropriate, and those responsible for the building or equipment. This enables the team to consider both the benefit of participation and the practical measures required. Resident involvement will struggle to take
root if it depends entirely on one enthusiastic member of staff. Ideas need a route from conversation to action. Homes might use resident meetings, informal discussions, suggestion books or individual reviews, but the process should be visible. When residents make suggestions, they should hear what has happened as a result, including when something is not currently possible. Managers should also include the
environment in these discussions. Rather than asking only, “What activities would you like?”, they can ask: n “What makes it easier or harder to join in?”
n “Are there rooms you enjoy using more than others?”
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www.thecarehomeenvironment.com October 2026
n “Where would you like to spend more time?”
n “Is there anything you cannot reach, hear or see clearly?”
The answers may reveal that the barrier is not a lack of interest. It may be an uncomfortable chair, a noisy room, poor signage, an inaccessible garden path or uncertainty about whether a space is open for residents to use. The strongest care home communities
are not defined by the number of events they hold. They are defined by whether people feel known, useful, welcome and able to influence daily life. Resident- led activity can strengthen that sense of purpose, but it requires more than an enthusiastic programme. It needs adaptable rooms, accessible routes, practical storage, welcoming entrances, usable gardens and facilities teams who understand that the environment is an active part of care. Not every suggestion will lead to a large
project. Sometimes the most meaningful change is moving a table, opening up a cupboard, creating a quieter seating area or making it easier for someone to reach the garden. Those seemingly small decisions communicate something important: this is your home, your community and your life, and your contribution matters.n
Claire Richardson
Claire Richardson is a director at Coxbench Hall, an independent, family- run residential care home in Derbyshire. She is passionate about creating a warm, active community in which residents retain choice, purpose and meaningful connections. The home combines residential and independent living within a Grade II listed house and landscaped grounds.
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