How Santa’s Cheeky Elves are Bringing Festive Cheer to Our Care Home in Suffolk
How are we bringing festive cheer to our care home in Suffolk this winter?
With Santa’s cheeky elves, of course!
Brightening up our residents’ days, our cheeky elves have been causing all kinds of mischief throughout December - from hitchhiking on a carer’s back to running away with the Bucks Fizz.
Keep reading to find out all about their playful antics and why it’s important to us that we have fun at our care home in Suffolk…
Christmas in a Care Home
At The Dell, we love celebrating special occasions, and Christmastime is no exception. Whether it’s hosting a Christmas fair, doing some festive baking, getting creative and making Christmassy crafts, decorating the homes, or sharing meaningful moments with our loved ones, it’s a time of year that really helps bring people together and lift the spirits.
This December, the elves have joined the fun, and have been spending their days getting up to mischief and spreading joy throughout the home.
It’s not only brought smiles to our residents' faces - it’s also been a source of entertainment for our staff, who have been getting creative (and a bit naughty!) setting the elves up each night to surprise the residents in the morning.
While it may seem like a small act, the impact has been wonderful: the elves have created a strengthened sense of community and brought plenty of child-like cheer to The Dell.
What Have the Elves Been Doing at Our Care Home in Suffolk?
To kickstart the mischief, the elves were caught stealing from a jar of chocolates - but they ate too many and got caught short on the toilet!
As the week continued, the elves seemed determined to outdo themselves; they found their way into the kitchen and made snow angels in flour scattered across the surfaces, and attempted to steal ingredients from the fridge.
The Dell team decided to capture the elves and put an end to their antics - and caught them in a booby trap!
However, the elves escaped on a Kitkat ladder, and hitchhiked on the back of a carer's coat to their next adventure.
They turned bananas into go-karts and raced around the home - before popping into the washing machine for a quick rinse.
Tired from the festive fun, the elves settled down towards the end of the week with some snacks and Hallmark movies - and a cheeky tipple. One elf decided to keep up the mischief, though, and attempted to make off with the Bucks Fizz!
These lighthearted moments not only bring smiles to faces, but can also help reduce feelings of loneliness, as it sparks conversation around the home. Many residents spent years making magic for their loved ones over Christmas, and now they can sit back and let us repay the favour.
Our Care Home in Suffolk: Building a Community
Our Christmas activities - including Elf on a Shelf - help build a strong sense of community within our care home in Suffolk.
They create shared memories that residents, staff and visiting families can connect with, and act as a bridge between generations - our family members enjoy hearing about the elves' antics almost as much as residents enjoy discovering them!
While the elves’ behaviour is undeniably silly, the impact is anything but. For people living with dementia, activities that stimulate curiosity, memory, humour or companionship can have a direct influence on wellbeing.
For our Wellbeing Care staff, it creates space for joy and reminds them that a care home is not only their place of work, but a community and a home.
The elves will undoubtedly continue their mischief in the coming weeks. Whatever they do next, the real magic lies in the smiles they bring, the conversations they start and the sense of togetherness they help create.
