As all Forest Healthcare’s residents and their loved ones will know, person-centred care is at the heart of our service. Across our care and nursing centres, we’re committed to ensuring each individual has the support they need to remain active members of their communities through uplifting, inclusive events, trips and outings.
Our partnership with Myley, a bespoke tour company, enables us to do just that. The Myley team specialises in organising and supporting accessible day trips that are designed for participants of all ages and abilities, particularly people living in residential care settings.
This collaboration has given us the capacity to run well-managed, fully supported trips that ensure residents can explore new places, visit locations that hold important memories, or simply look forward to days out and about.
Memorable Outings Organised by Forest Healthcare and Myley
There is a wide range of experiences on offer, and readers of our newsletter may recall some of the activities we’ve featured in recent months. They have included:
- Visits to local garden centres, enjoying seasonal displays, colourful blooms and chatting about gardening, planting triumphs and mishaps over hot chocolate and cake.
- Craft-based trips, such as pottery painting, which proved both popular and therapeutic. Residents were encouraged to select designs, experiment with colours and textures, and express themselves through their bespoke art pieces.
- A day trip to the Hayling Island lifeboat station, with plenty of fresh seaside air. We learned about the responsibilities and bravery of the lifeboat crews, and, of course, took the opportunity to order traditional fish and chips for lunch.
Another favourite was an afternoon spent travelling from Henley down the River Thames aboard a specially adapted Rivertime Boat Trust vessel. The day included a tasty picnic served on the deck while spotting geese, swans, ducks and a heron on the riverbanks.
One colleague recalled the great laughter that was evoked when a resident pondered whether he might need to swim back, and how challenging it would be to have to explain that he had forgotten to bring his trunks!
How Fun-Filled Trips and Excursions Help Develop Connections
The snippet above illustrates how important shared experiences are for all residents of care and nursing centres. Many welcome the time to relax and reflect alongside calm waterways or to engage in activities they’ve always loved, with gentle assistance throughout.
Craft and art afternoons, visits, and trips bring our colleagues and residents together through social and interactive activities, often with keepsakes and mementoes to take back, these also make each Forest Healthcare centre and private suite brighter and more personalised!
Our care teams are recruited for their warmth, compassion and character, and spending quality time together builds camaraderie and authentic relationships, free from the routines and tasks of life in a busy care centre.
This is all supported by Myley, who bring their expertise to the planning and running of each trip, taking care of all the finer details to ensure that residents of any age or mobility can take part.
Those specifications may include step-free access, wheelchair-accessible transport, or nutritious meals that take into account each individual’s medical needs, care plans, and preferences.
Myley’s team focuses on outings that offer mental stimulation and promote emotional well-being, with year-round events, weather-conscious planning, and a promise of reliability, ensuring that residents looking forward to a trip know their day out will go ahead as planned.
Forest Healthcare’s Drive to Support Well-being Through Active Engagement
We often speak about how activities, from keep-fit to DIY, gardening, and family-friendly events, are essential to the holistic well-being of our residents. There is growing recognition of the role that social activities play in improving quality of life, especially among older adults and those with conditions that may affect their cognition.
Each trip, activity or visit is organised accordingly, with studies showing that:
- Fresh air and time spent outdoors can improve mood and combat feelings of loneliness or isolation, prevalent and serious problems that disproportionately affect older people.
- Gentle movement, whether walking to and from transport, practising grip strength or spending time spotting wildlife or picking out favourite colours, aids in mobility and mind-muscle connections.
- Experiencing new environments, sounds, and sights encourages curiosity and conversation, while familiar spaces can spark memory recall and prompt residents to share stories from their lives.
Alongside in-centre activities such as screenings of movies and sports events, visiting performers and musicians, and, of course, local shopping trips, this diversity of excursions has a lasting impact on our residents and the teams that support them.
Reflections on the Partnership Between Myley and Forest Healthcare
It’s been a privilege to partner with Myley and to see firsthand the value that accessible, thoughtfully planned, and inclusive outings for residents have.
This has showcased how experiences aren’t just about a day out, but about finding time and opportunities to discover new and renewed interests, and making the most of the communities, open spaces and facilities beyond each centre.
During the year ahead, we’re excited to plan more experiences and to continue working with Myley to develop further enriching trips, as part of our ethos of delivering the highest standards of care inside and outside each of our 13 centres.
Residents and loved ones who have attended Myley excursions are welcome to share their feedback and experiences with us or with their key points of contact at the respective Forest Healthcare centre. We also appreciate suggestions about new potential outings that residents would enjoy, whether individually or in smaller groups.
This helps us create those social, inclusive moments that matter, each accompanied by a dedicated tour leader. Our trips are supported by CQC-compliant planning and individualised risk assessments, Forest Healthcare’s qualified care colleagues, and itineraries tailored to the interests and hobbies of the participating residents.
Family members and loved ones who’d like to find out more about our partnership with Myley and stay up to date with planned and past trips and activities can subscribe to the Forest Healthcare newsletter, The Nightingale, where we share reports, photos and updates from across the group!
To explore what this approach to care could look like for you or your loved one, and to discuss your individual needs in more detail, we invite you to learn more about Forest Healthcare and get in touch with a member of the team.