At Friends of the Elderly’s Bernard Sunley care home in Woking, Surrey, which provides dementia, residential and nursing care, the residents have been enjoying a new, interactive pastime thanks to the generous donations and fundraising efforts of two husbands and a grandson of former residents.
Tony Collins’ wife, Jayne, and Norman Carpenter’s wife, Jean, were both residents at Bernard Sunley’s nursing unit. Sadly, when Jayne and Jean passed away, both families – independently – asked for donations for the care home as not only did both families love the home, but they were both very happy with the quality of care, respect, and dignity the team gave to both ladies.
However, wanting to do more, Jean’s grandson, James Smith, decided to take on a huge challenge – to run 25, 5k runs on consecutive days to raise additional funds. “I hadn’t been out for a run in a while, so off I went. As I was running I had an idea on how to do a bit of fundraising for Grandma’s care home,” James explains. “So, I made my mind up and ran 25, 5k runs – one each day – from 22nd December to 15th January, which was the day of Grandma’s funeral. I know she would have loved it.”
Through all the wonderful donations and James’ outstanding running achievement, Andy Cumper, Bernard Sunley’s care home manager, was able to purchase an interactive Rainbow Table for all the residents to enjoy in memory of Jayne and Jean.
Talking about the Rainbow Table and the positive impacts it has had on the residents, Andy said, “Thanks to Tony, Norman and James’ kind donations and fundraising triumph, I was able to purchase the Rainbow Table as I wanted to ensure that all our residents continued to be kept engaged, motivated and stimulated throughout the COVID pandemic lockdown, and beyond. It’s been a huge success and it’s great to see our residents happily getting to grips with the new technology and making the most of all the different applications it has to offer.”
For residents who are living with dementia, using and engaging with the Rainbow Table can increase their mental stimulation as they can experience and enjoy reminiscing, playing games, sensory, learning and relaxation activities.
John Tuazon, Bernard Sunley’s Dementia Champion added, “The Rainbow Table has definitely improved our resident’s overall wellbeing and it brings an added level of quality, engagement and interaction to their day. For our residents living with dementia, the Table’s sensory games, reminiscing and relaxation applications are helping to keep them mentally active and stimulated. It’s lovely to see the joy it brings.”
The Rainbow Table has been incredibly popular with residents, and has given staff and residents a very welcome boost during lockdown.
“Since we installed the Rainbow Table at the end of last year, all the team have seen how it has become a firm favourite and an added incentive for our residents to socialise and interact with one another, especially when playing group games as they get quite competitive, which really does create an open and enjoyable social environment,” Andy said.
