Bupa Care Homes ‘Grow Their Own’ For Community Initiative

Bupa care homes’ residents have their watering cans at the ready as they prepare to ‘grow their own’ for ‘Community Crops’.

‘Community Crops’ is a Bupa care homes initiative which promotes the health benefits associated with gardening and growing your own fruit and veg.

The project is being supported by young people involved with The Prince’s Trust, who are linking up with Bupa homes, including nursing care homes, across the UK to help sow and grow the crops.

Residents have also been inviting local schools and community groups to lend a hand with planting and start their own vegetable plots.

Caroline Davy, Bupa’s community affairs assistant, said: “This is a great way for our residents to appreciate the fresh air, stay active and get a real sense of achievement by tending to the crops and watching them grow.

“For our residents who were keen gardeners before they joined us, ‘Community Crops’ offers a great opportunity to get back involved, but it also helps minds as well as bodies. Particularly for our residents receiving dementia care, sharing stories about ‘dig for victory’ and the tradition of growing your own are excellent memory triggers to aid connections with the past.”

Helen Thurston, from The Prince’s Trust added: “‘The Community Crops’ campaign is a fantastic project which provides our Prince’s Trust XL club members with the opportunity to get involved with their local community. It enables young people to engage in a positive way with a different generation and learn about the importance of healthy eating.”

Altogether, the Community Crops campaign has taken root in gardens and greenhouses in over 300 care homes across the UK.

Via EPR Network
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Bupa Care Home Residents Set To ‘Get Into Reading’ With Special Reading Aloud Groups

Bupa has joined forces with charity The Reader Organisation to encourage its care home residents to ‘get into reading’ with special reading aloud groups.

The ‘Get into Reading’ groups will be piloted in eight Bupa care homes for six months from April 2011. Get into Reading aims to bring the benefits of reading aloud and of social interaction to people in health and care environments, such as residential homes or homes offering nursing care.

Each group will enjoy shared reading led by a project worker from The Reader Organisation for an hour each week. Members will discuss what’s being read as they go along, and relatives, staff and members of the local community will be welcome to join in as well. Studies show that literature can have a healing or therapeutic effect on readers, helping them to identify with characters and situations in books or to be ‘taken out of themselves’ by the story.

The Reader Organisation’s experience has shown that short stories and poetry have proved most beneficial for people with dementia. The project will ensure that Bupa care home staff members will be trained to deliver read-aloud groups themselves. Following assessment of the pilot, Bupa plans to offer groups to its 305 homes nationally as part of its industry-leading Activities programme.

Siobhan Drane, Bupa Care Services community manager said: “We are really pleased to be working with The Reader Organisation to deliver ‘Get into Reading’. We hope that these reading aloud groups will reignite a passion for literature in our residents, spark a new interest or offer an opportunity for reminiscence. We believe our residents will benefit from the positive effect literature can have on wellbeing.”

Via EPR Network
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