Hingham care home cooks up dinner party for National Care Home Open Day 2015

Friday 19 June 2015

Residents of Hassingham House in Hingham will demonstrate that living in a care home is no barrier to enjoying the finer things in life on Friday 19 June, when they host their very own formal dinner party, as part of the National Care Home Open Day.

The idea came from the residents themselves, following last year’s successful beach party event.  As manager Sally Lee explains, staff and residents have been working for months to plan the special occasion, to which local dignitaries and sporting personalities have accepted the residents’ invitations:

“Both residents and staff are proud of their home, so this seemed like a great opportunity to throw open our doors and dispel some of the myths surrounding living in a care home.  Our residents worked with our talented chefs and catering staff to create a home-cooked three course menu, and our entertainment team has arranged for local tenor and West End performer Nick Best to serenade our guests during the meal, backed by a musical quartet.  Just because our residents are now at a stage of their lives where they need support to live fulfilled lives, it doesn’t mean that they have to give up the finer things in life!”

Special guests will include local heavyweight boxing hero, Les ‘Stumper’ King, who is an avid charity fundraiser in the area, and one of the UK’s leading dementia experts, Dr David Sheard. 

The festivities will start at 2.30pm, when all residents will be attired in their Sunday best, starting their dinner party with a welcome glass of sherry.  After enjoying the feast, visitors will be welcome to look around the home to see for themselves what life is like at Hassingham House.

“Although we are hosting this event as part of the national Care Home Open Day initiative, every day is an open day at Hassingham House, as prospective residents and their families can drop in at any time, without an appointment, to get an accurate impression of the home during its day-to-day running,” adds Sally.  “Everyone comments that this place is very homely and welcoming, and full of friendly, caring, interesting people.  New residents settle quickly and families feel reassured that they are in the best possible hands to enjoy the highest quality of life. If you’re ever faced with having to find a care home for yourself or a loved one that’s important to know,” says comments centre manager, Sally Lee.

With that in mind Sally has been working hard with local businesses and groups to improve the understanding of the services available at Hassingham House, especially for people living with dementia, and is also keen to encourage members of the public to befriend a resident or think about volunteering.

Hassingham House is situated on Hardingham Street in Hingham, with 44 bedrooms offering a friendly, family environment for both younger people recovering from trauma – including a specialist 24 hour neurological and spinal injury nursing care – and elderly residents who require nursing care.  Hassingham House is part of the Forest Healthcare group of homes, which includes 13 individual homes throughout the South East of England.  For more information on Hassingham House, please visit www.foresthc.com or call 01953 851890. 

ENDS

Notes to editors:  Photographers are very welcome to attend the Dinner Party to take photographs of the event.  Please contact Jay Commins or Samantha Orange on 01904 500698 to reserve a place.

For further media information or photographs, please contact:

Samantha Orange or Jay Commins

Pyper York Limited

Tel:         01904 500698

Email:    sam@pyperyork.co.uk or jay@pyperyork.co.uk