Hingham care home extends welcome for festive cuppa and a chat

“No need to be lonely in Hingham this Christmas!”

A Hingham care centre, Hassingham House, will be opening its doors to members of the local community this Christmas season, as it promises that no-one needs to spend the festive period on their own.

“Christmas is a very hard time for many, particularly older people, who can find themselves feeling lonely and isolated at this time of year, so we’re making a special effort to invite them in for a lovely hot drink, a mince pie and a good old chinwag,” comments centre manager, Caroline Newman. “Our residents always have company around – whether visiting family, fellow residents or our friendly staff – but we know that many people are not so fortunate, so we wanted to share our warm winter welcome with anyone living around the area with an hour or so to spare.”

Residents in the home already enjoy visits from local musicians and school groups, but it is hoped that this festive idea encourages more members of the community to befriend residents, and vice versa. “For many of our residents, getting out and about is no longer an option, so where possible, we like to encourage people from the outside to come in. Within the home, we hear some amazing stories from residents – jobs they have done, places they have been – so spending time just chatting is a fantastically rewarding experience,” adds Caroline.

The idea stems from an initiative within the home called ‘People like me’ which encourages conversations between residents of the home, staff and visitors who share common interests – from football to needlecraft, gardening to tattoos!

“People living in their own homes have networks of friends who share common interests, and ‘People like me’ is a great way of finding people who love to talk about similar things with like-minded people,” explains Caroline. “Who needs social media sites like Facebook and Twitter when you discover that you support the same rugby team as someone you see every day? We’re now looking to extend this beyond our doors to our neighbours in the community so that they too can connect with our residents, making new friendships and sparking some wonderful conversations over a brew and a biscuit!”

Members of the community are welcome to pop in to the home on Tuesday 29 December and Thursday 31 December between 2pm and 3pm. If the open invitation proves successful, Caroline will look to introduce ‘community chat time’ to the home’s weekly event calendar.

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

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Samantha Orange or Jay Commins

Pyper York Limited

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