In our last blog post, we spoke about reflecting the seasons at Heaton House through the different activities we do and the food we eat. Being able to keep a good routine throughout the year brings comfort to residents.
The seasons aren’t the only things that can help us to establish a good routine for the year. Celebrating special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and other special days helps too.
How routines help people with Dementia
Keeping a daily routine helps the person with Dementia know what to expect each day. This can reduce any stress or confusion they may have. No one likes not knowing what’s going on and this can be especially stressful for those with dementia. Keeping a routine can help to avoid that.

Remaining healthy is also made easier with a routine, as people can sit down at the same time each day to eat and know when it’s time to get some exercise. At Heaton House, we have set mealtimes to encourage residents to eat at certain times. Although these are of course not set in stone and may be changed to suit each person.
We also make sure that our activities for the week are displayed clearly on the wall in the ground-floor hallway so that residents can see what’s planned for each day.
While we have things planned week-to-week, we also have special dates to celebrate throughout the year. Doing this means that residents have things to look forward to.
How we celebrate at Heaton House
Whenever we have someone new come to stay with us, we get to know what things they celebrate every year so that we can make sure to join them in their celebrations. Some of the most common things we celebrate are birthdays and special days like St Patrick’s Day and Pancake Day.
For birthdays, our chefs will bake a cake of the birthday resident’s choice and we light the candles and all sing Happy Birthday. Gifts and cards are received through the post and of course, friends and family are more than welcome to join the celebrations.
We also love to recognise personal occasions like anniversaries. It’s always lovely to hear the memories that celebrating any occasion brings up. From their wedding day to going to a party, there are always things to chat about.
Most recently, we celebrated Pancake Day by making our own and having a go at flipping them. Some of our favourite action shots are below! Everyone had great fun, although it was agreed that the best part was of course eating them!
Recognising days like that helps our residents to spot patterns and reassures residents as they know what to expect.

Join our family
There’s currently a rare opportunity to join the Heaton House family as we currently have a vacancy. Call 01903 700251 and ask to speak to Sally or Sue to find out more. You can also email us at care@heaton-house.net.