Care home resident feels 'like a different person' after joining a 'walk and talk'

A care home resident has revealed that she felt ‘like a different person’ after she joined a new activity initiative encouraging older people and those with disabilities to ‘walk and talk’.

The scheme ‘Stepping out with Carers’ was originally set up in Kent but has now expanded to include Hertfordshire, Doncaster and Manchester. It offers scenic, sociable and entertaining walks in beauty spots, created especially for carers and the people they care for.

This walk was at St Paul’s Walden Bury in Hertfordshire, the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The walkers got to explore the garden and grounds followed by lunch, hosted in the billiard room by the Queen Mother’s nephew, Simon Bowes Lyon, who is himself 86.

The walk was sponsored by Margaret House Residential and Dementia Care Home. Its owner Thomas Kelly said “We are proud to support the life-enhancing, health-promoting, fun-inducing value of walking and talking with new friends.”

Eighty-three-year-old Enid Denchfield, a resident at Margaret House, said: “I had a fantastic day out, especially having a go on the tree swing – I feel like a different person.”

Care worker Sam Adby, added: “It’s been lovely here. To come along with someone who doesn’t normally get out much to walk, to enjoy the scenery, has been wonderful.”

The walks are delivered by The Ramblers in association with carer support organisations and are funded by the National Lottery through Sport England. They are supported by Sports Minister, Tracey Crouch, who joined a walk in July. She said: “It’s a great scheme combining physical activity with respite and connectivity and much loved by participants.”

Every venue hosts two walks – a brisker longer walk around three miles and a shorter walk, up to a mile, on easy terrain suitable for anyone in a wheelchair or with mobility issues. Following the expeditions, all walkers come together for a communal lunch.

For more information on Stepping Out go to www.carerssteppingout.co.uk.

click here for more details or to contact Margaret House Residential and Dementia Care Home