At Redcot, our Haslemere-based residential care home, the residents and care team celebrated this year’s Valentine’s with a week dedicated to Love and Friendship. “Whilst falling and being in love has no age or time limit, for many older people, the annual day can be difficult as it can bring back strong feelings of loss and sadness,” said Latasha Jarrett, the Registered Manager at Redcot. “Many of the residents are Widows, Widowers or are single, so we wanted to make this year’s Valentine’s not just about love and couples, but also about friendship and appreciation as the residents are all close friends, value one another, have fun together and treat each other with a deep respect,” added Jenny Ryder, one of Redcot’s Activities Coordinators.
Redcot’s Love and Friendship Week celebrated the close friendships within the care home, the residents’ close bonds, the kindness they give to each other and their families and loved ones. Throughout the week leading up to Saturday 14th February, activities included story sharing sessions, where the care team spent relaxed one-to-one time with the residents, helping them to share their memories of past Valentine’s Days, celebrations and the loved ones, friends and relatives who are no longer with them.
“The residents made an Appreciation Wall,” continued Latasha. “The Wall was adorned with the residents’ stories, love hearts, cards, personal notes, drawings and compliments to each other which were read to those residents who were unable to read them themselves. “Some of the notes included beautiful and quite well-known quotes including ‘True friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there,’ ‘Time and good friends are more valuable in life the older you get’ and ‘People listen to what you say. Good friends listen what you don’t say’.”
“The residents are so knowledgeable and well read,” continued Jenny. “One resident told me about a famous quote on Friendship by the Author, C.S. Lewis, which I’d never heard before. ‘Friendship is born at the moment when one man says to another…’What! You too?’ which I thought was so true.” “We also hosted a ‘What I Love About You’ activity where the residents, care team and residents’ family members wrote kind messages, which were displayed at the care home and a fun session entitled ‘Tips for Dating – What you wish you knew when you were younger,” added Latasha. The residents also got creative and decorated love heart cards which they either gave to their friends and relatives or displayed on the care home’s walls or kept in their own rooms.
On Saturday 14th February, the care home held a Valentine’s Day lunch for all the residents with a special Valentine’s Day menu. “We decorated the Dining Room with flowers, hearts and atmospheric lighting and played gentle background music as well,” continued Latasha. “Following lunch, the residents enjoyed the ‘Tiaras and Bow Ties’ Afternoon Tea Dance and the talented entertainer, Chris Buck, performed for them. There was dancing and chair-dancing taking place, together with a delicious afternoon tea which everyone enjoyed – plus, the residents, their guests and the care team ‘Dressed to Impress’ for the afternoon soiree.
“Everyone at Redcot thoroughly enjoyed the Love and Friendship Week and all the activities and interactions that took place – and the hot topic of conversation before the week was what to wear to the ‘Tiaras and Bow Ties’ event. As one resident said to me, ‘It’s like the old saying, true friends are like diamonds – bright, beautiful, valuable – and always in style,’ and I know for a fact that each resident was stylish and beautiful and thoroughly enjoyed the dance,” concluded Latasha.
Find out more about Redcot care home by calling 01428 644 637 or emailing [email protected].