Greenhill
Congratulations to Louise who is this months 'Employee of the Month' for Greenhill.
Louise is our night team leader who always has a smile on her face. Her colleagues think highly of her and the residents look forward to her being on shift.
Claire, Manager at Greenhill organised for a professional photographer to come and take pics of our lovely residents, their family and friends. Didn't they turn out wonderful!
Residents at Greenhill had a tasty afternoon making tarts and pasteries with blackberries collected from their garden. The tarts didn’t last long!
Staff at Greenhill enjoyed a Friday night out at an Escape Room event in Newport.
Staff were split in to two teams with one group escaping from jail and the other collecting gold coins on a pirate ship. The team in jail managed to escape, thank goodness! And the pirate ship team collected all 100 coins - a feat that only 5% of participants have ever achieved!
This was followed by a lovely meal in TGI Fridays. It was a great night, enjoyed by all!
Residents at Greenhill have been getting in the football spirit by decorating the small lounge.
The residents have been cheering loudly for England this afternoon!
Residents and loved ones of Greenhill spent a wonderful, sunny Friday afternoon floating down Brecon Canal aboard the Dragonfly canal boat. We spent the afternoon basking in the sunshine, enjoying the calm and quiet, and sipping tea and coffee. We had a delicious picnic on board (made by Sarah in the kitchen). Lots of residents shared memories of similar trips they have done with loved ones in the past. Experiencing going through the lock whilst ln the boat was a highlight of the trip!
We have enjoyed looking at and sharing pictures of the trip, and residents are already thinking about the next one!
Thank you to all the staff and family members for all your help on the day.
Staff at Greenhill have been trialling wearing their pyjamas at night to support the residents to know when it is night time.
In previous studies, it has proven successful and has helped to promote sleep at night and to reduce pacing and disorientation. The first night went well.
On Wednesday we celebrated National Biscuit Day with our (free!) goody box from McVities biscuits. We enjoyed taking part in a biscuit-themed quiz, learning lots of biscuit facts along the way. Joan's daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandchildren also took part.
Later, we had a lot of fun doing a 'blind' biscuit taste test, tasting biscuits and then guessing which one we'd tried. We were very good at this - we're obviously biscuit connoisseurs!
One of our lovely chefs, Sue, made one of her infamous trifles for today's dessert. Our mouths were watering just looking at it! And yes - it did taste as wonderful as it looked.
To round up ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’ at Greenhill we decorated green cup cakes and had a tea party where we socialised and discussed things we have in common and talked about what makes us all tick. We shared stories about our loved ones and memories from childhood. We also did some brain teasers and enjoyed a range of cakes, treats and tea. We did flower arranging and though about how the colours and nature around us affects our moods during the year and the affect they have in a room.
Continuing our Mental Health Awareness Week activities, a group of us had a stroll to the green opposite our home. We took a flask and sat on a bench to have a cuppa and a natter. We spoke about how general attitudes around mental health have changed over the decades, and shared stories. We naturally started reminiscing about childhood and favourite toys. All agreed that childhood has changed drastically over the last 90 years! Residents were all in high spirits during and after our outings. There were thunderstorms forecast for most of today but we were very lucky and didn't feel a drop of rain. Lovely day all 'round!
We've had a lovely day continuing our 'Mental Health Awareness Week' activities. The theme this year is 'Movement' so we began the day with armchair exercises, and then a game of Skittles. We then played a game of bingo, but with a twist! Every time a number '0' or '5' was called out we picked a challenge card, which consisted of movement challenges (such as 'March on the spot for 10 seconds') and brain challenges (such as ' What 3 things are you thankful for?'). As you can see there was lots of chatting, movement and laughter - all things that we know are incredibly important for good mental health!
Wednesday began with a church service, where Mairwen (the vicar from St Edmunds) held a service and gave communion. This included some lovely hymn singing.
In the afternoon we had another game of bingo with the Year 4 children from Crickhowell Primary School. Again, this included challenge cards with movement challenges and conversation challenges. Having the children to exercise with and talk to made the game even more entertaining. As the children were leaving one little boy said, "This is the best day ever!" Residents also expressed joy with Roly (who joined us along with his friend who was visiting) saying, "I'm glad I came to that, it was very fun."
Tomorrow residents and staff will be 'Going Green' by wearing green clothing and accessories. We will be having a picnic on the green, opposite our home (weather permitting) so keep your eyes peeled for more photographs.
We will finish the week with a green-themed afternoon tea in our Daffodil Cafe, where we will be able to share photos from the week. This will hopefully spark further conversations around mental health and wellbeing!
Greenhill was a buzz with a lovely visit from A&J clothing, the morning was spent picking out new items of clothing for everyone’s spring wardrobes. The residents can’t wait to show off their new outfits to each other, family and friends.
Greenhill’s gentlemen took a trip to the new ANTUR&CO brewery down the street for the grand opening. The men enjoyed a nice pint or two and socialising. We are looking forward to doing more gentlemen trips in our town.
It's sadly time to say goodbye to our lovely little chicks. Although they're not so little anymore! Josephine, who works in Shaw's head office, came to collect all 10 chicks to live on her small holding. They'll have lots of space to run around, and other animals to make friends with. We're very happy knowing that they have a lovely life ahead of them.
St Edmunds' Church's vicar, Maerwen, came to give a service and communion this morning. She was joined by our Anna Chaplin, Nell, and volunteers from the church.
Wonderful afternoon at Caffi Croeso in Crickhowell. A monthly event organised by the local charity Friends With Dementia. We had a lovely time singing, dancing, and eating cake with our families and friends!
Earlier this week we FINALLY had a break from the recent miserable weather, so were able to kick start our fundraising walks for the Stand Up to Cancer charity. Ros, Joan, Sian, Jeni and Apollo (the dog) had a mile long stroll around Crickhowell. As there were 5 of us (yes, Apollo is included 😅) it means we started with a very respectable 5 miles of our 60 mile target. Joan and her daughter, Maggie, added another 2 miles today.
If you would like to donate to the charity please use the QR code in the photograph of the poster or follow this link - https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/claires-giving-page-56615
Our (not so!) little chicks are doing really well! All 10 eggs hatched, which is quite rare, and we have 4 boys and 6 girls. We love getting them out for a little play and runaround in the lounge - they are bringing so much joy. Today we used the chicks to do a little life drawing class.
Some of the chicks just couldn't wait to meet the residents and hatched within 24 hours
Residents and staff at Greenhill had a lovely morning putting practice in to an indoor game of golf. We had the very knowledgeable Fred - a long time golf lover - giving us hints and tips as we played. Fred told us all about his famous teammate, Tiger Woods! 😉
Now that the sun is shining and the rain has stopped, Jan and Jeni enjoyed a belated birthday celebration with a trip to our local pub, The Bear. We admired the flowers on our walk - the first signs of Spring are on the way! 🌻🌷🌹
Josie, Rosemary and Jeni went for a stroll in the beautiful sunshine. We spotted some early signs of Spring, and spent a lovely time sat on the bench listening to the birds and watching the local community.
Some of our ladies came to Greenhill's Nail Salon for a little pamper. We tried to convince Roly that a nice red polish would be nice but he wasn't convinced! 😂 He tried on one of the wigs instead - rather fetching, wouldn't you agree?!
The Daffodil Café at Greenhill Residential Care Home was officially opened by Duncan McInnes, deputy mayor of Crickhowell Town Council, on 17th February. He joined residents, family, friends and staff for the event, which included a buffet lunch and live entertainment from local singer Donna
Who sang songs from a golden era from Judy Garland, Doris Day, Vera Lynn, Ella Fitzgerald and many more.
The café has a vintage theme, with a record player, sweet jars and tea sets reminiscent of the residents’ younger years.
The residents were quick to praise the new café, with one stating that it “has been decorated beautifully, it feels so welcoming” and another thanking the staff for including them in the process of designing the café.
Claire Williams, manager of the Shaw healthcare-operated home, said: “The opening of a vintage café has been a wish of mine since I started at Greenhill and to see it all come together with the support of the team has been fantastic. Watching the residents sitting in there listening to music while having a cup of tea and a cake socialising with each other makes me so happy and grateful that I get to work here."
Staff and residents at Greenhill having been busy giving their Valentine's Day advice.
We had a wonderful day celebrating St Dwynwen's Day here at Greenhill. We made biscuits and then enjoyed a beautiful, vintage performance by Donna. She entertained us with old love songs from the 30s, 40s and 50s and as you can see there was much singing, dancing, toe-tapping and smiling throughout!
We ended the day with a showing of the 1946 musical, 'Till the Clouds Roll By' and snacked on Love Heart sweets!
Jeni and Jan went for a stroll around Crickhowell. We stopped off at Latte-da coffee shop for a warm drink, then popped into Crickhowell's local art gallery. It was very cold, but the sun was shining all afternoon. 😎🌞
Some residents and family members attended a local charity event 'Caffi Croseo' run by a brilliant team of volunteers. There was cake, sandwiches, singing, dancing and even a game of bingo! We had a wonderful time and all slept very well after all that partying!
We had a fantastic evening at Greenhill putting on our thinking hats with a family and friends for a Quiz Night.
This week at Greenhill we have be discussing New Year Traditions and making our own New Years Resolutions.
We had a wonderful Boxing Day here at Greenhill, playing games including skittles and bingo. A lovely air of competitiveness during skittles! Well done to everyone involved, and a big well done to Joan, who came second, and Dot who won first place! 🏅
They browsed a few shops then ended the trip with a cuppa - Ros' hot chocolate was almost as big as her head!
Jeni, Sophie, Gwenda, Josie and Ros took a trip into Crickhowell town to visit the local art gallery.
Members of our local church, St Edmund's, came to Greenhill for a wonderful traditional carol concert. Thank you to all that attended - a beautiful way to continue our festive celebrations!
We had a lovely time at our Christmas party here in Greenhill. We also enjoyed our Resident Recognition Awards!
Residents helped make and prepare items for an old fashioned fayre. Residents enjoyed drinking mulled wine with family and friends - thank you for joining us.
A big thank you to our singer, Bonnie, for providing a wonderful sing along!
If family and friends are popping by over the Christmas period we have mulled wine spice bags and hot chocolate reindeer for sale.
Residents, family and staff had a jolly time making Wreaths to put up around their home.
Greenhill is ready for Christmas! We were lucky enough to have a beautiful Christmas tree donated to us by our local Abergavenny garden centre.
Greenhill staff and residents are very grateful to our amazing local Morrisons in Brecon for donating boxes and bars of chocolates to our residents for Christmas.
Residents have also have done an amazing job baking and decorating homemade Christmas cakes.
A wonderful morning celebrating team Greenhill in Crickhowell. Peter Lathbury from Powys CC joined the celebrations, which recognised every staff member and some Greenhill Champions too!
Greenhill had a fun time baking cakes and throwing a tea party for Children In Need last week.
Greenhill had a lovely visit from A&R Fashions. The residents enjoyed shopping for new clothes just in time for the festive season.
We have had a busy week at Greenhill knitting and crocheting poppies for Remembrance Day with help from residents, staff and relatives. Lest we forget.
Greenhill celebrated the spooky season with some friendly visitors from Aled’s Animals.
At Greenhill we have been getting into the autumnal spirit, carving pumpkins and decorating them with autumn coloured flower arrangements.
World tourism day is here at Greenhill! We had a tasty time making our own personalised pizzas, learning international greetings and shouting out answers for world trivia.
We celebrated Roald Dahl day here at Greenhill! We enjoyed the day with a themed quiz and a delectable chocolate tasting competition trying over 10 different brands of chocolates rating them and guess the company, in honour of willy Wonka and the chocolate factory.
Sian has been presented with Employee of the month for her professional and positive approach in her role. Sian has recently become our in house manual handling trainer and has been training our staff team. She is always polite and courteous, and always willing to lend a hand to support the team.
We've had a very silly, but very enjoyable, few days in Greenhill. We have a new box of silly costumes and the beards, wigs, and moustaches made our sing song even more fun than usual! Later, Penny and Chi had a great time reading out jokes.
The sunshine made a rare appearance, so Gwenda and Jeni made the most of it and went for a stroll around Crickhowell. They did a bit of shopping and Gwenda posted the hats she knitted for her great-grandchildren. Hopefully they will fit them better than they fit Gwenda!
He came! Father Christmas (aka Siôn Corn), his very helpful elf, and his little furry helper Daisy the dog took time out of their busy schedule to visit Greenhill on Christmas Day. Residents had a wonderful time, as you can see on everyone's faces! Gwenda dazzled Father Christmas in her flashing jumper, and Joan fell in love with Daisy. Bronwyn said, "Today has been the best Christmas day I've had in years"! Thank you to all the staff who made such a special day possible, and a huge thank you to Father Christmas, Jamie the Elf and Daisy the furry helper. Nadolig Llawen from all of us here at Greenhill. 🎄
Residents have spent some nice relaxing time adding to our blanket, beautifully modelled by Rosemary. We've named it the "Willy Nilly Blanket" and think you'll be able to see why!
Residents and staff had a GREAT time at Greenhill's Boxing Day Bonanza! We played lots of games, some serious and some silly. Well done to everyone who participated in our Boxing Day Basketball Championships, and an extra big congratulations to Fred, who won first prize - at 99 years old! We spent the afternoon doing a Christmas themed quiz, along with plenty of chocolate and a glass of something bubbly. We got a very respectable score of 23/25! (We all now know that none of Father Christmas' reindeer were called Richard or Dai!) Joan also pictured, having a good laugh at a couple who like to eat their Christmas turkey in their birthday suits!
Residents and staff in Greenhill had a fab time last week doing Christmas preparation. Our manager, Paula, brought in her sewing machine along with some beautiful material. We all turned in to little elves making Christmas bunting for the lounge. Lots of residents remember making similar things with their families and children - we have lots of very talented people here at Greenhill!
Residents enjoying a spot of of balloon tennis - Adrian is a former tennis champ, and it showed!
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Residents, friends, family and staff of Greenhill had a phenomenal evening with Kirk Marsh aka The King aka ELVIS! We ate a beautiful curry and buffet, followed by a wonderful live performance from The King himself. There was lots of singing, lots of dancing, lots of laughing, and lots of knicker-throwing (just like it was back in the day!)! We would like to say a HUGE thank you to the residents, their families, and the staff, for such a fun-filled evening. We know people will still be talking about it for months to come. And of course, a huge thank you to Kirk for putting on a wonderfully authentic show. We're getting ready to welcome Elvis back at Greenhill in the future!
Residents of Greenhill spent some time making poppies for our early Remembrance Day service, conducted by our local vicar Sally, and Ruth. It was an incredibly moving service, with residents sharing stories of their memories, and their families experiences of war. Thank you to Sally and Ruth for such an intimate and moving service.
We have had a busy time at Greenhill, bagging sweets for trick or treaters. John had the great idea of making a sign to let local children know we welcome trick or treaters. If you are local, please pop by for a visit, and let other local people know. Happy trick or treating!
Residents and employees at Greenhill had a lovely time decorating the home for Halloween. Lolly the dog even leant a paw! Sarah made one of her infamous balloon arches to decorate the front door - I think you'll agree we're definitely ready for our Halloween party! We also spent a long time gutting and carving pumpkins for Halloween. It was the first time Jan has ever done it, and as you can see she wasn't impressed by the innards! 😂 A HUGE thank you to Gavin and the other staff at Abergavenny Garden Centre, who helped us pick some of the pumpkins. And thank you to June, our dial-a-ride bus driver, who took us to the pumpkin patch and then also joined us for the afternoon. Another thank you to the Aldi store in Merthyr, who kindly donated lots of pumpkins for us to carve and display.
Maggie, Rosemary, Penny and Pat had a wonderful time at Abergavenny Garden Centre with Jeni and Kim. We picked our own pumpkins - including some very unusual ones - and made friends with the scarecrows. We then had a lovely walk around the garden centre and bought a couple of decorations ready for Christmas. It was a lovely afternoon. "I feel alive!" said Pat.
We've been in fits of giggles here at Greenhill, watching some classic Mr Bean!
Residents enjoyed reliving their childhood playing with "helicopters" we collected from the garden. Fred, from Germany, said that he and his friends used to call sycamore seeds "cocktails".
Rosemary and her husband, Tim, enjoying a relaxed afternoon playing 'Strip Jack Poker'. Tim said, "Despite the name, you don't have to be naked to play!"
We have been sorting through our Halloween decorations, although we didn't get much work done as we were too busy laughing!
Residents enjoying a quiet and cosy afternoon doing artwork for our Autumn display board.
A big welcome will be received at Greenhill care home for their christmas fete in Crickhowell. Everyone is welcome.