Boost for care home residents

FROM the left . . . Lisa Brooks, social activities co-ordinator; project manager Carol Richards; John Frain, head of workforce development; and Linda Green, staff development officer

OLDHAM’S care homes are to get a new lease of life thanks to a £265,000 windfall.

Age Concern Oldham celebrated news of its Big Lottery Fund hand-out yesterday by unveiling details of what the money will buy.

Around 1,400 people living in the borough’s care homes will get the opportunity to pursue or take up hobbies and to taking part in social or physical activities.

Social activities co-ordinator Lisa Brooks and Michael Rattigan, physical activity co-ordinator, plan to work with each of Oldham’s care homes over the next five years, training staff and developing packages to suit each site.

Project manager Carol Richards said schemes which had been tried out at Elizabeth House and Park House, in Queen’s Road, Oldham, in advance of the lottery bid, had proved a huge success.

The scheme is funded by Oldham’s share of a multi-million pound award to Age Concern for its Fit As a Fiddle project which aims to improve the health of older people through activity and healthy eating.

Carol said: “Not everyone wants to join in with group activities, so we will also have support workers to accompany individuals who want to do something else, such as visit a garden centre.

“It will cover anything that helps people engage with the community, and we are also producing a directory for care homes of groups, activities and places of interest where staff can take residents.

“This is something that is needed, and is for everyone who lives in a care home, whether they have physical or mental health needs.

“It will enable us to talk to residents and managers to see what they do already, to find out what they want to do, and to develop an eight-week programme to suit their needs.

“We always hear the negative things about care homes but let’s see if here in Oldham we can raise the profile and look at some of the more positive initiatives.”

Care home staff can find out more by calling Carol on 0161-633 0213