Sharing purls of wisdom – Cheltenham care home residents revisit favourite hobbies

Residents at a care home in Cheltenham have been revisiting their favourite hobbies and shared their skills with the younger generation. 

The residents at Care UK’s Sandfields, on St George’s Road, have been stepping back in time to enjoy knitting as part of a nationwide initiative – Long Lost Hobbies.

 

The ‘Long Lost Hobbies’ initiative sees residents in Care UK homes across the country share their favourite hobbies and try new pastimes with younger generations after a national survey found 77% of adults feel technology is the cause of traditional skills being lost, including flower arranging, knitting and woodworking.

To ensure the hobbies of older generations are not forgotten, residents at Sandfields have been getting to the knitty-gritty and unwinding what makes their favourite pastime so enjoyable.

As part of the initiative, residents have been sharing their best knitting tips and tricks with members of the Sandfields team and took part in a special knitting session.

Pauline, a resident at Sandfields, said: “I can still remember the knitted swimming costume my mother made me with love, and just how unpractical it was when it would get wet!

“I think children should be taught to knit at school like we did, because you can make anything if you put your mind to it. More men should knit too – my husband could knit using a machine called Swiss Magic.”

Pamela, another resident at Sandfields, said: “I love the effort that goes into knitting and I wear lots of clothes that I’ve knitted myself, especially my favourite blue cardigan.”

Malaika Charles, Home Manager at Sandfields, said: “We had a fantastic time taking part in our knitting activities here at Sandfields. 

“For those living with dementia, revisiting a past hobby, such as knitting, can help bring back memories, as well as providing an enjoyable way to connect with others through a familiar activity that once brought joy. These positive feelings gained from revisiting fond memories can help decrease stress, reduce agitation, and provide a feeling of success and confidence. 

“Residents and team members at Sandfields have loved revisiting their favourite hobbies and discovering new ways to pass the time from younger generations. It has been wonderful to hear residents talking about how they first discovered their favourite hobby and the fond memories this interest created.”

For top tips on how you and your loved ones can revisit forgotten pastimes or discover new ones, please visit: careuk.com/long-lost-hobbies.

Sandfields is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, dementia, nursing and short-term respite care. The home, which features 90 en-suite bedrooms, has been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, bar, hairdressing salon and café.

To find out more about Sandfields, please call Laura Sayburn, Customer Relations Manager, on 01242 801 867, email laura.sayburn@careuk.com or visit careuk.com/sandfields.