Employees recognised for their outstanding contribution to - Belong

Belong Life Autumn 2012
Thinking outside the box
“One of the things I try to impress upon staff is that there is
no typical scenario to deal with. Staff might come back to the
training room after a refreshment break to find that they can’t
get through the door because I’m lying on the floor blocking
the entrance, shouting for help and simulating a customer who
has fallen. It’s a fact that customers don’t fall in the middle of
a large, empty room with plenty of space around them, but can
fall in the most difficult to reach places, and staff have to think
outside the box to react to the situation appropriately.
Enriching lives
“For me, it’s all about helping to make the residents’ lives more
enjoyable; teaching staff to invite residents to join in with
everyday activities such as peeling the vegetables for dinner
or clearing away after a shared meal. The household design
encourages communal activity, but if staff have come to the
Belong village from a more traditional
care home then they’re not used to
involving the residents so much. The
older style care homes often don’t have
the benefit of the home-from-home
household layout. It’s a pleasure and a
privilege to observe staff and customers
happily sitting round a table, working as
one and enjoying their days together.
“For me, my working day usually finishes
around 5pm and by the time I get home
there’s just time to cook tea so that we
can all eat together before settling down
for the night.”
Generations get
CREATIVEtogether
Residents at Belong Macclesfield, on Kennedy Avenue,
took part in an arts workshop recently with pupils from
Whirley Junior School, on Whirley Road.
Belong Macclefield
The cross-generational session involved
children in Year 5 and Year 6 classes,
who helped residents design and make
some sports themed artwork.
Belong Macclesfield General Manager,
Janine Curwell, commented: “At
Belong, we believe that older people
should be engaged with their local
community, and involved in regular,
stimulating activities. Interacting with
pupils from Whirley Junior School gave
residents the opportunity to share
their creative knowledge with young,
inquisitive minds, and learn a thing or
too about modern games, ahead of
this summer’s big sporting season.”
Belong encourages supporting older
people to live in a holistic environment,
involving contact with pets, plants and
children.
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