Care home residents in Crowborough unite with school pupils to combat mental health

 

Care home residents in Crowborough enjoyed a morning of deep conversation as they welcomed local school pupils for ‘Time to Talk Day’.  

Care UK’s Heather View, on Beacon Road, invited pupils from years seven to ten at Beacon Academy to join residents for the special gathering, which saw the two generations coming together to share their problems and learn from one another’s experiences. 

Time to Talk Day is an annual national awareness day that happens on the first Thursday of February and was created by mental health charity Mind. It aims to encourage people across the country to talk more openly about their mental health.

During their time together, residents and the school children engaged in meaningful conversations and enjoyed activities including card games and reading poetry. 

The visit to Heather View also formed part of the academy’s PSHE curriculum, which sees students visiting the home regularly to foster relationships with residents by chatting, singing and playing games with them. 

Resident Margaret Day said: “It was lovely to find out about the lives of the children and their days at school. They were very friendly and chatty.”

Sadie Hudson, Home Manager at Heather View, added: “It was wonderful to see everyone reading poetry, playing cards and sharing stories and jokes together. 

“Both the residents and the students really valued the chance to spend time in each other’s company – it was great for the mental health of everyone involved. Intergenerational activities like this are so important for both older and younger people, and Time to Talk Day really helped the residents to express themselves and share their feelings.

“The school still has a big waiting list of pupils who want to visit, so we are in the process of scheduling even more gatherings – which residents are over the moon about. Long may they continue bringing happiness to everyone involved.”

Heather View has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The home has plenty of space for activities, as well as a cinema, sensory room, hair and beauty salon, and café.