A Spotlight on Our Wellbeing & Activities Team
Meet Becky, Ravinder, Christina, and Sue, the wonderful ladies that make up our Wellbeing & Activities Team here at Hazelwood Care Home in Longfield, Kent.
Wellbeing & Activities Coordinators are responsible for getting to know each of our residents individually and providing them with a range of opportunities to engage in activities that are meaningful to them personally.
The idea is to support residents with a varied activities programme that is full of opportunities to socialise, continue hobbies and pursue new interests and ultimately have the best quality of life possible and be happy living in our home.
We asked Rebecca Hayat our lead Wellbeing and Activity Coordinator to tell us more about her and her team's job and what it involves:
"I completed my Arts degree at the London Institute a few decades ago and I’ve always been interested in Art Therapy. I worked as a graphic designer and later became self-employed as a yoga and Pilates teacher, and holistic therapist which I still do. I have taught yoga, run retreats, and pamper experiences for 25 years - a lot of my energy has always gone towards bringing inner peace, happiness, and a lot of joy.
I have also worked within schools, gyms, hotels, spas, hospitals, community hubs, etc to deliver wellbeing. 3 years ago, I made the decision to work within the care sector and this was the time to amalgamate all my skills. I joined Hazelwood in January 2023 and have since discovered a love for my role and the home I deliver a service to."
Rebecca went on to add:
"To be a Wellbeing and Activities Coordinator, you need to be well organised, creative, and proactive. Like many jobs, no day is the same. One day you could be throwing a summer fete and the next day you could be in the sensory room teaching an exercise class, followed by baking.
The team and I ensure we focus on our resident's emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical wellbeing and we also like to include the families when possible. Each wellbeing & activities coordinator brings their own ideas to the role and will find their own unique strengths.
Some people are great at creating quizzes and conducting craft sessions and others excel at stimulating physical exercise through gardening or other outdoor activities. It is important to plan a diverse activity week through knowing each of our residents and what will grab their interest, through using our local knowledge and activity tools.
Behind the scenes, the team and I are organising events and reaching out to the local community to ensure that residents don’t lose touch with groups and friends that they enjoyed locally before coming to live in a care home. The phrase ‘it's not what you know it’s who you know’ is fundamental to our role, and having a little notebook with you at times can often be beneficial. Even if you do not know the local area well, you will begin to collect local contacts and resources such as schools, churches, and charities that make your job even more rewarding.
There is never a dull day as a wellbeing & activities coordinator. Planned activities don’t always go the way you want, so you must be proactive and think on your feet. Sometimes residents decide that they don’t want to join in at the last minute, but it helps to ask people what they want to do instead. Having empathy and good communication skills are essential and you need to be flexible and ‘go with the flow’ some days. On other days you can be surprised when a successful one-to-one or group session brings tangible benefits for a resident".
We then asked Rebecca how she feels about her role at Hazelwood Care Home:
"For myself personally, I have discovered an amazing role within a positive environment where I am able to grow and thrive. Being the Wellbeing and Activities Coordinator Lead within Hazelwood Care Home is enriching and I’m so glad that I found this home to flourish in as certainly for me and my experience of care homes, Hazelwood Care Home is a home of high standards on all levels.
The high level of care, sensitive design and flow of the home, and the beautiful views and garden all contribute to creating a home that our residents can maintain or reach happiness, peace, and comfort, and so with all the resident's needs in place - this makes my job even more accomplished.
With my supportive and conscientious management and fellow colleagues giving the residents their very best, my wellbeing team & I can then add the sparkle to our resident's day. We get to see the happiness, love, and fulfillment on our resident's faces when they engage with us.
Our resident's overall wellbeing is extremely important to us here at Hazelwood Care Home, and we do all that we can to not only support our residents will their medical wellbeing, but to meet their personal care needs too. If you would like to find out more about how Hazelwood Care Home can help you and your family, then please get in contact with our friendly team.
