How Wessex Care nurtures mental well-being for residents and staff
Mental well-being is an important aspect of high-quality care, and one that doesn’t always receive as much attention as it should. At Wessex Care, mental well-being is always a priority, for both care home residents and care staff, and it’s this dedicated focus that enables Wessex Care to provide such consistently high-quality care.
Let’s take a look at why mental well-being is so important, and how it’s achieved at Wessex Care.
What is mental well-being?
Mental well-being is all about how you feel and how that influences the ways in which you can approach daily life, whatever that may look like.
Good mental well-being brings positive feelings, emotions and actions, such as happiness, peace and the ability to act with clarity and kindness.
A lack of mental well-being makes it harder to cope with day-to-day life, and has a negative impact on our ability to function and communicate.
Why is mental well-being important in residential care?
Residential care brings challenges for both those receiving care and those giving it. Moving into a care setting represents a change to routine, independence levels and physical capability that can be hard to accept and deal with.
Providing care to people in this situation, and helping them accept the changes in their life is challenging too. But it’s also incredibly rewarding – as long as steps are taken to foster mental well-being in a residential care home setting.
How does Wessex Care make mental well-being a priority?
Wessex Care believes that mental well-being is a universal human right, and strives to create and maintain it in both care residents and staff.
At its core, mental well-being comes down to treating residents and staff with respect, kindness and as individuals, as well as promoting socialisation, health and a sense of purpose.
So, what does this look like in the Wessex Care residential care homes?
Arts, crafts and cooking
People living in Wessex Care’s five residential care centres have the opportunity to take part in frequent crafting sessions, such as making Christmas decorations and seasonal wreaths, as well as painting and getting busy in the kitchen too.
Music and entertainment
Engaging in music can have a very positive effect on mental well-being. Wessex Care residents have the chance to enjoy live music performances, and take part in music sessions themselves, whether through singing or playing an instrument.
Getting out into the community
Socialisation, fresh air and a change of scenery can all contribute to good mental well-being, and Wessex Care offers plenty of opportunities for residents and staff to engage in local community events, such as Salisbury Summer Fair and The Living History Festival.
Games and quizzes
Taking part in brain games and activities is a great way to stimulate the mind and engage with other people, so those lucky enough to live at one of Wessex Care’s residential centres are encouraged to flex their mental muscles with quizzes and games, such as Scrabble.
Engaging with nature
A dose of the natural world is great for improving mental well-being, and there are so many ways Wessex Care residents can connect with nature, from growing vegetables in care centre gardens to animal therapy.
Friendship
Socialisation and being with others has hugely positive effects on mental well-being, and it’s a big part of Wessex Care life. Residents and staff gather in the lounge every day to spend time with one another, which helps everyone form strong bonds and long-lasting, powerful friendships.
To find out more about residential care that keeps mental well-being at its centre, contact Wessex Care.
