Macmillan Fundraiserand 3rd BirthdayCaribbean Party

Autumn

NewsletterHarper FieldsDates for your

6th Minibus trip – ‘Swan Lake’ the Hippodrome8th Minibus trip 9th Methodist Church service at 11am 9th Wild Bill visits for armchair line dancing at 3pm12th Simon Watts wildlife presentation at 3pm 13th Tony Sparks comes to perform at 2.30pm 16th World Food Day at Harper Fields 20th Tim Tandy Ukulele performance at 3.30pm 23rd Church of England service at 11.30am23rd Rani Nisar from Bollywood Dance Company here to celebrate Diwali at 3pm26th David Mcfegan accordionist performs at 3pm30th Harper Fields Halloween party with Louise Goode at 3pm

October

5th Bonfire night celebrations at Harper Fields6th Linda Williams concert at 3pm8th Remembrance Sunday at Harper Fields11th Minibus trip – ‘Les Ballets Trockadvro De Monte Carlo’ – The Hippodrome 13th Methodist Church service at 11am 20th David Knowles concert at 3pm 23rd Adrian Wylde Keyboardist concert at 2.45pm25th Christmas card shop with Janice at 2pm25th King & Rackham Duo concert at 3pm27th Church of England service at 11.30am27th Chris Cook and his musical workshop come to perform at 3.30pm30th St Andrew’s Day celebrations at Harper Fields30th Circle Singers Christmas concert at 7pm

December1st Tony Sparks here to perform at 2.30pm3rd Minibus trip – ‘Nutcracker’ ballet – The Hippodrome4th Wild Bill comes for armchair line dancing at 3pm7th David Mcfegan accordionist concert at 3pm8th Sassi Gifts come to Harper Fields for a unique shopping experience for the residents at 2.30pm 11th Methodist Church service at 11am 11th Chris Cook and his music workshop come to perform at 3.30pm14th Simply Purple ladies choir perform at 7pm18th Paulo Pinto comes to perform at 3.30pm19th Harper Fields Christmas Fayre21st Linda Williams Christmas show at 3pm 24th Minibus trip – ‘Aladdin’ pantomime – The Hippodrome25th Christmas Day visit from Santa for our residents

November

Harper Fields Care Home724 Kenilworth Road, Balsall Common, CV7 7HDTel: 01676 531 800 • www.barchester.com

Harper Fields held a charity event afternoonon 25th September to raise money for MacmillanCancer Support as part of Macmillan’s annualcoffee morning campaign and to celebrateHarper Fields’ 3rd birthday.

Our wonderful chefs and kitchen staff participatedin a sponsored chest waxing fundraiser. This wasgreat fun and even the residents got to tear off astrip (much to their amusement!) We would liketo say a massive thank you to Ellie and Lauren atTwo Ten Salon in Balsall Common, for volunteeringtheir time for this great cause.

After the waxing, residents gathered in the heartof the home to hear the sounds of Sofia on the steeldrums. Fruit juices, Caribbean food and cakes wereserved as the residents danced to the distinctsounds of the Caribbean.

Weekly activitiesPet therapy Skittles challenge Tai Chi Movie afternoonsMinibus trips Seasonal arts and craftsSilver surfers’ computer clubQuizzes and sensory gamesChurch servicesMassage therapySharing memorabilia Professional manicures Walks around our beautiful groundsMusic therapyVarious concerts

We had a special visit by the nurserychildren from Capella’s in Balsall Common,who arrived in handcrafted colourful grassskirts (created that day) to dance with theresidents and brighten up their afternoon.

We raised a grand total of £170, which willbe donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.

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News in and around

A Dream Come TrueHarper Fields and Overslade House joined together to make a dreamcome true! Irene’s dream was to see and touch a horse again and wasoverjoyed at the possibility that a horse could come and visit, even inher own bedroom. Lou who is a PAT (Pets as Therapy) horse, came tomake a special appearance to make this dream a reality.

During Lou’s visit she confidently walked into Irene’s room via the patio door and rested her head on Irene’s lap. Lou was then fed carrotswhich she enjoyed eating and Irene thoroughly enjoyed feeding to her.All the residents were overwhelmed with Lou’s visit and enjoyedgrooming, feeding and having lots of pats. A big thank you to Jo fromOverslade for bringing Lou to Harper Fields for this special occasion.

BodyguardAt Harper Fields we like to tailor our activities around ourresidents’ individual hobbies and interests. We knew Hillary'sfavourite song is 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston,therefore we booked tickets to see 'Bodyguard' the musical at the Hippodrome in Birmingham. Everyone had a fantastic timeespecially when Hillary sang word-for-word her favourite songwhich reduced Hannah our Activities Coordinator to tears.Hannah said: "This has to be one of my most special momentsworking at Harper Fields".

Massage TherapyWe are so lucky at Harper Fields to have our own massagetherapist, Lisa Tilley, who visits the home twice a week to pamperour residents. Lisa is such a special lady with a kind heart and agreat relationship with our residents, whose eyes light up whenthey see her approach them. By using certain essential oils she isable to evoke fond memories which have a calming influence onthe residents. Lisa is here on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Elizabeth makes the Care Awards 2015Our amazing volunteer Elizabeth Scott made it through to thefinal stages of the Barchester Care Awards 2015. Elizabeth hasbeen selected for her dedication and remarkable commitment to the residents here at Harper Fields. Elizabeth visits everyMonday for pet therapy with either one of her lovely cats ordogs; she also plays a huge part in the many theatre trips to theBirmingham Hippodrome and fayres held. Hannah Mulholland,Activities Coordinator for Harper Fields, said: “I could not bemore proud of Elizabeth for getting so far in this competition;she is a real asset to the activities team and enriches the lives of our residents week in, week out. I am humbled to knowElizabeth and to have attended the awards by her side".

National RoastDinner WeekWe transformed the dining room into a traditionalcarvery for the afternoon, and decided we would tailorour menu to represent each country. Our chefs spentthe morning preparing fresh ingredients, handmadeScottish bread rolls and turning vegetables. Everythingon the menu was made from scratch including ourpuree meals. Mark, our Head Chef, carved our gammonwhich Judith and Dick particularly enjoyed.

Garden PartyTo make the most of the glorious weather, we decided tohold our tea party in the lovely grounds of Harper Fields.Finger sandwiches and cakes were served to the residents,their friends and families on the finest china, whilst the'King & Rackham Duo' performed on the violin and piano.We all enjoyed sitting in the sunshine, socialising andlistening to classical music.

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