Activities From The Rose Cafe & Sunflower Cafe
The Rose Cafe is back in full swing and had an incredible turnout during our first session of the year. It was heartwarming to see the number of volunteers and Home Instead Wandsworth Caregivers supporting the session. We're so grateful to everyone who came out to support the session and help us continue to make a difference in the community.
People who attended enjoyed fun activities
Seeing the turnout for the first session of the year at The Rose Cafe was great. The attendees got to enjoy a range of activities, including art therapy, music and a dementia session.
Art Therapy
The attendees at the Sunflower Cafe & Rose Cafe had great fun getting stuck in with the art therapy session we put together. The activity was new year vision board, facilitated by Angela. Who is one of our Caregivers. From using lots of colours to feeling different textures the room was buzzing with creativity and fun. Art Therapy has been known to help boost cognitive function in various areas of the brain and enhance communication which is why we love getting as many of the attendees involved with this activity.
Music Therapy
The music session at the Rose Cafe was held by Jean and Rosemary who is HLC volunteers. It included, singing, and breathing and movement. The session was very interactive. We had breathing and movement aswell as singing. Everyone had a great time dancing and singing along. The music seemed to bring everyone together and create a real sense of community. It was wonderful to see people of all ages and backgrounds enjoying themselves and interacting with each other.
The atmosphere was electric and everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives. It was clear that the music was having a positive impact on everyone in the room.
The Dementia Session
Norma, who ran the dementia session; split the session into two parts : memory box and poetry.
It was lovely to see everyone engage with each other and the poetry, and it was even more special when Norma took items out of the memory box and asked the attendees what they reminded them of. The objects that appeared were boats and seashells, and the poems she read were rhyming poems; she sells sea shells.
It was clear that everyone enjoyed themselves and that this was a valuable experience for all involved who attended the Rose Cafe.
Seeing how the attendees interacted with the items in the memory box was really insightful. We could see how the items brought back memories for the attendees. We were also able to see how the items in the box brought up different emotions in different people. Some people were happy to see the items, while others were sad or even angry. This was really interesting to see and it helped us to understand how memories can be so different for different people.
Overall, it was a great first session and we’re looking forward to seeing what else The Rose Cafe & Sunflower Cafe has in store for us this year!
