Here at Abingdon Court, being part of the community in which we all live and work is very important to us. We support many local community organisations and last week our focus was on the wonderful dementia friendly café just up the road from us, run by Dementia Friends Abingdon.

At Bowerfield House we have been very busy in the kitchen, we have baked cupcakes and decorated them. We all enjoyed eating them with a nice pot of tea and a good chat. We have also been cooking a beef hotpot which we added to our evening meal options, it went down very well and was very much enjoyed by the residents and staff. At Bowerfield House we have had some dignity aprons made for our residents, they look a lot better and are comfortable to wear. Our residents look very smart and are pleased with the design. 

To the activities team, 

Thank you so very much for all your care. The Skype calls were precious. We know Dad enjoyed the activities you all provided. Pedro, you are amazing.

Kind Regards, J&M

We celebrated International Nurses Day on Wednesday 12th May. We presented to all of the nurses a fob watch as a nice way to show them how proud we are of their work and dedication to our residents. Kitchen staff baked a delicious cake that was served with sandwiches, salad, crisps and drinks for everyone to enjoy. 

Face painting for our Rio Carnival Day. We had a fabulous day starting with face painting the staff and residents, Yvonne, Leonard, Nicola and then the head dresses. 

Some of the pictures of the Rio Carnival, getting ready for the afternoon. Cocktails were served, Strawberry Daiquiri and Pimms, lemonade and fruit juices. Our carnival table preparations in the dining room and the conservatory ready for the fabulous buffet. Sandwiches, porkpies, sausage rolls, chips, quiche, taco's and Doritos etc. We also had a lovely fruit cocktail and fairy cakes for dessert. Followed also by the brilliant cake from Jo. 

Our activities theme for the month of May is 'All About Me' so we spent time during this Dementia Awareness Week reminiscing and listening to old familiar songs. We also painted forget-me-not flowers that represent remembrance and are long-associated with dementia. They are also a symbol of the Alzheimer's Society. 

Continuing with our fundraising for the Stroke Association we held a purple day here at Bowerfield Court. Everyone wore a purple ribbon and enjoyed the variety of purple sweets and cupcakes that were on offer. We took part in the quiz made by the charity itself and especially joined in the 'Catchphrases' section. 

We love to keep active at Hope Green and Balloon Tennis is one of our favourite games to enjoy together. With music on in the background too we find ourselves singing whilst playing. Always with lots of laughter and smiles, it's a great way of keeping ourselves moving and building friendships. Fun and friendship is a great combination and very important to us. 

Bowerfield House has enjoyed a beach day today while listening to the Cliff Richard song Summer Holidays. Carers Vicky and Joan waited at our new bus stop for the bus to take them to the beach. Our residents enjoyed touching the sand and feeling it between their toes and touching the shells. After the beach we enjoyed a toffee latte while watching the film Summer Holiday. Residents and staff had a fantastic morning and we chatted about the different holidays we have had over the years. We all had a great day.