A good care home activity coordinator will understand each resident's uniqueness

The best thing about being a care home activity coordinator is “seeing someone completely absorbed in an activity and the smile it puts in their eyes,” reveals Tamzin Moloney, who works at Oakfield Care Home in Bath.

Being occupied and active is known to improve one’s physical and mental health, so it is no surprise that an increasing number of care homes are recognising the importance of having an activity coordinator.

Martin Green, chief executive of Care England describes a good activity coordinator as a “vital resource for any provider who is committed to delivering a good quality of life to their residents”.

The National Activities Providers Association (NAPA), which wants activities to be integral to care homes, rather than an extra, recently gave Tamzin Moloney the award of Best Activity Coordinator of the Year.

The judges which included Davina Ludlow, chair of carehome.co.uk and Sylvie Silver, director of NAPA, were impressed with her community connections and particularly liked the Archie Project that brings school children into the home every fortnight to join in activities with the residents.

Every single resident has the chance to get involved'

Ms Silver said: “Tamzin is redefining what people expect from activities at Oakfield. She uses life story information to discover what holds meaning for an individual and then works hard to meet that need. She has a proactive approach to ensuring every single resident has the chance to get involved in activities and remain part of the local community in some way, shape or form.”

As well as promoting intergenerational care in the home in Weston Park, Ms Moloney puts on group activity sessions, which vary from exercise classes, crafts and music to outside entertainers, as well as organised outings. Residents who remain in their own rooms, are offered one-to-one time during the mornings.

Her work was praised by the Care Quality Commission in a recent inspection report of Oakfield Care Home, which said she had ‘been proactive and imaginative in creating sessions in consultation with people’.

Best thing is 'seeing the smile it puts in their eyes'

Ms Moloney, who previously did volunteer work, has been activities coordinator at Oakfield for nearly three years. She said: “This is my first job in the care industry and now I wonder how I could ever leave it. The best thing about it is seeing someone completely absorbed in an activity and the smile it puts in their eyes.”

She describes her approach as understanding “each person’s uniqueness and what activities have most meaning and enjoyment for them. Everyone is creative in some way and nurturing our creativity gives us purpose. It may be through baking cakes, arts and crafts or music, so let’s organise groups who share those interests.

“It may be poetry so let’s arrange readings or write poems to enter competitions. It may be that their garden was their interest, so let’s get them into the gardens or create an indoor garden in their room.”

Perseverance

Ms Moloney, who was selected by the judges from 180 entries for the award, even persevered for a year to get one of the residents to take up sewing again, knowing she used to be a very good seamstress.

Determined to get Sheila sewing, Ms Moloney took up the hobby herself and would sit with Sheila and ask for advice and help. Over time, Ms Moloney got Sheila to unpick mistakes and after a year of this subtle encouragement, Sheila took up sewing again. Once she got started she would sew into the evenings to get the work done. The week after she completed her first project, a Remembrance Day poppy, she was asking Ms Moloney what else she needed sewing.

Ms Moloney also arranges special experiences for residents through a ‘wishing well’ scheme that runs at Oakfield and all brighterkind homes. One of these was a wish granted to Bridget, a lady who had been a land girl and had worked on a farm all her life. She wished that she’d had a donkey but was never able to.

At 94, it wasn’t feasible for her to take one on, but Ms Moloney arranged to take her on an outing to a farm where she met a retired donkey that had been re-homed. She also had her first experience of feeding a newborn lamb. Ms Moloney said: “It was moving seeing her joy at being back on a farm and listening to the pride with which she shared farming stories.”

Jeremy Richardson, chief executive of brighterkind said:” Recreation and activities are more than just bingo and quizzes and Tamzin exemplifies the special qualities that activities coordinators should have. Her award as best activities coordinator recognises her total commitment to her job and to the people she keeps happy, active and creative.”

To find out more about offering meaningful activities in care homes go to http://www.napa-activities.com/