Activities in a care home

If you or a loved one is planning to move into a care home, you may be wondering what residents do during the day.

Care homes put on activities for residents to take part in. Activities in a care home can be as part of a group or one-to-one support.

Care homes often provide an activities schedule that may change on a weekly basis; residents can pick and choose which they would like to take part in.

Nobody is forced to take part in activities in a care home they don’t want to but they may be gently encouraged if staff feel it would be beneficial to them.

The care home’s country’s regulatory body (e.g. the Care Quality Commission in England) assess whether a good selection of meaningful activities is offered during inspections.

Meaningful activities in a care home

Meaningful, person-centred activities are built around what residents will find engaging, stimulating and beneficial to their mental and/or physical health.

They are planned by team members who get to know residents, their life stories and what’s important to them. For example, a former athlete might have activities created around fitness and their chosen sport, while somebody who has struggled with loneliness and low confidence might need extra support to join in with activities and make friends.

Meaningful activity doesn’t only include leisure activities – it’s important for people to have a sense of purpose and therefore meaningful activity can include supporting them to maintain their independence and even help others.

Benefits of meaningful activities

Meaningful activities can:

• Build confidence
• Provide purpose and structure (structure is particularly helpful for people who live with dementia)
• Aid memory and cognitive function
• Offer regular social contact and help residents to form meaningful relationships and friendships
• Keep residents mentally and physically active
• Enable residents to express themselves

How do I find out what activities are on offer at a care home?

Seeing what they’ve been up to

Many care homes post pictures or press releases about their activities online.

This enables friends and families to see what their loved one has been up to; it’s also a good way to see what’s on offer at any care homes you are interested in moving into.

If you have prospective care homes in mind, check out their carehome.co.uk profile and look under the ‘News’ tab, or look at the social media.

Joining in with future activities

Often activities are open for residents’ friends and relatives to join in, or people from the local community.

This helps residents to stay in touch with others outside the home and offers social opportunities to people in the community who perhaps live alone or simply enjoy the activities that the home offers.

If you would like to join in with an activity or receive an activities schedule on a regular basis, contact the care home.

Who organises activities in a care home?

Activities in care homes are usually planned and run by a dedicated Activities Coordinator. Larger homes may have a team of Activities Coordinators, overseen by the Head of Activities.

Activities team members get to know each resident, they observe and assess the sort of activities that the resident would enjoy and be able to partake in, as well as those which would be beneficial to their mental and physical health.

Hannah Boscott, Activities Coordinator at Chacombe Park Care Home comments: “I absolutely love my role as an Activities Coordinator here at Chacombe Park, it is incredibly varied – no two days are the same. 

“As a team, we know how important it is to get to know our residents really well and find out all about their hobbies and interests, what they have enjoyed doing in the past and new things they’d like to try, so we can provide meaningful person-centred activities that are tailored to each individual.

“We love getting out and about in the community, going on outings, having events and live entertainment, our residents love pet therapy, gardening, baking, art classes, book club – there is always something different going on. 

“Sometimes activities take place in groups or we might have 1-2-1 activities with residents who prefer quieter pastimes. 

“It is wonderful to see the enjoyment and impact our activities deliver in helping our residents to continue to lead fulfilling lives, doing all the things they love.  I often think I have the best job in the world.”

What activities do care homes offer?

Which activities a care home offers depends on the home’s facilities, size and budget. 

Here are some activities that care homes provide:

Hobbies

• Gardening and gardening clubs, both flowers and vegetables
• Book groups
• Visiting lecturers or guest talks on topics of interest, such as local history

Fitness and wellbeing

• Fitness classes such as yoga, armchair aerobics or dance 
• Team games
• Pet therapy, either from the home’s own pets or visiting animals, from dogs, owls or lizards to alpacas or Shetland ponies
• Religious worship and celebrations
• Pampering including manicures and pedicures, hand massages or a hair cut in the home’s salon or from a visiting hairdresser
• Activities in the home’s sensory room, if it has one

Food

• Baking
• Pizza making
• Cheese and wine tasting

Social

• Knit ‘n’ Natter
• Reminiscence
• Quizzes
• Board games
• Bingo
• Singing groups
• Parties

Art

• Painting classes
• Jewellery making
• Flower arranging
• Art therapy

Entertainment

• Visiting musicians
• Visiting pantomimes
• Themed days
• Armchair travel

Community events at the home

• Garden parties
• Summer fetes
• Barbecues

Outings

• Going to a local pub or restaurant
• Attending local community events
• Trips out to the beach, museums, tourist attractions, nature reserves, public gardens, sports matches, a theatre performance or even the ballet
• Shopping
• Swimming
• Person-centred trips, such as to a resident’s favourite football club