Now that the weather is improving, we’re enjoying getting outside a bit more. As we’ve mentioned in a previous blog post, some of our residents love to get involved with gardening and look after a herb garden. So it’s great when Spring comes and the weather allows those green-fingered among us to get out. 

As most of us will have experienced, being able to spend time outside in sunny weather improves our mood and there’s no exception for people with Dementia. Getting outside can improve cognitive function, reduce stress and even help relieve a feeling of isolation that dementia suffers may feel. Simply sitting watching the birds feed can bring a real sense of reward and contentment to our residents. We make sure our bird table is full of tasty treats for our winged friends and encourage residents to help us fill the feeders if they want to.

Outdoor activities at Heaton House

When the weather is nice, we love it when our  residents can get outside and enjoy lots of outdoor activities. From playing mini golf and bowls on the lawn, to watching the children from Little Elms nursery play, or even having sheep and other animals come to visit us, we ensure there’s a variety of things to do. 

We strive to create positive outdoor experiences for our residents and we often find that this brings knock-on benefits, including improved mood, appetite and sleep patterns..

We even have a summerhouse in our South facing garden, which is a lovely space for residents to enjoy if it’s a showery day or a little bit chilly. The glass walls means that they can feel as though they are outside while remaining warm and dry . Plus, it’s a great place to host visiting families as it can comfortably hold 6 people, or lots of pre-schoolers as you can see in the picture!

Hopefully, we’ll be able to make use of our garden a lot this year and, of course, friends and relatives are more than welcome to join us. 

To find out more about Heaton House, visit our website or give us a call on 01903 700251 and ask to speak to Sally or Sue.