Oomph! Wellness

Leading Scottish care provider Balhousie Care Group is partnering with Oomph! to give residents an even wider range of activities.

Perth-based Balhousie, which prides itself on meaningful, person-centred activities, has signed up to give each of its 26 care homes access to Oomph! On Demand, a digital platform providing engaging exercise and activity content 365 days a year.

Oomph! On Demand enables residents to tune into live and recorded exercise sessions, including ballet, salsa and Bollywood dancing. They will also be able to enjoy a wide variety of activity resources, from virtual tours of Scotland, to language lessons, and from history talks to music concerts from their armchairs.

The site includes interactive quizzes, activity ideas and an interactive activity calendar. Care home staff and residents will be able to select activities according to their desired wellbeing goal or personal interests.

Balhousie Care Group’s Luncarty home in Perthshire has been shortlisted for a Scottish Care Award for the meaningful activities it provides.

Sheilah Harvey, Head of Operations at Balhousie Care Group, said: “We’re thrilled to announce this important partnership with Oomph! The digital platform is a sign of the times and, in our minds, an important step in keeping our residents stimulated and occupied every day. The Activities Coordinators in each of our homes will oversee the wide range of activities on offer. At this time of intermittent lockdowns, this programme is another string to our bow in providing high quality care.”

Ben Allen, CEO at Oomph!, said: “Recent times have been very challenging for care home residents. So, we have sharpened our focus on the life-affirming things that older adults can do. The Oomph! On Demand platform is a great opportunity to enhance quality of life in care homes and we are delighted to be partnering with Balhousie to deliver fantastic new opportunities to their residents.”

Oomph! is partnering with Majesticare, one of the UK’s leading luxury Care Groups, to engage residents and staff from 5 of their homes in a holistic world of wellbeing.

Majesticare have signed up to the new Oomph! On Demand platform, which will provide engaging exercise and activity content 365 days a year, across a diverse range of topics and meeting a range of interests and abilities.

Oomph! On Demand will be streamed into all participating care homes as part of our mission to enhance the minds, bodies and souls of care home residents, particularly during lockdown.

The 5 Majesticare homes will have access to the whole platform, which includes:

• Sports sessions such as slipper soccer and seated volleyball, designed with national sports bodies including Volleyball England, Boccia England and the English Cricket Board
• Exercise activities adapted for different health conditions with experts from Arthritis Action and the University of Exeter
• Language lessons with Lingo Flamingo, an expert organisation who make language learning accessible for all and improve the lives of those living with dementia
• A newly commissioned comedy performance about Henry VIII
• Singalongs, music therapy sessions, drama workshops, virtual tours of stunning landscapes, cookery inspiration and how-to craft activities

Our specialist wellbeing instructors have played a key role in the creation of content and are adding many new activities each week. Care home staff and residents will be able to select activities according to their desired wellbeing goal or personal interests.

Chris Guest, Head of Lifestyle and Community at Majesticare’s Wiltshire care home, Blenheim House in Melksham commented on how important it is to ensure residents have access to physical wellbeing sessions.

“As part of our “Continue being Me” programme which stimulates mind, body and soul for our residents, we have incorporated Oomph! as part of our daily fitness, dexterity and motor skills development classes. Our residents love the sessions and it is a delight to watch our staff join in! Oomph! helps us to create a vibrant, happy care home where physical and sensory stimulation is so important”

The project has been spearheaded by Steve Gardner, Wellbeing Director, Oomph! on Demand, a qualified personal trainer who also delivers an array of motivational seated exercise sessions on the platform. He said:

“Care home residents are losing out on so much including the chance to see family members and to take outings. We have sharpened our focus on the life affirming things that older adults can still do. On Demand is a no-brainer for enhancing quality of life in every care home in the UK and we are delighted to be partnering with Majesticare who have signed up to this new Oomph initiative”

Oomph! are proud to be a supporting partner of a brand new intergenerational initiative. Care England, in partnership with Intergenerational Music Making, are launching Together with Music – a new project to lift the spirits of thousands of care home residents this winter. This initiative will strengthen and build upon links between education, health and community organisations adopting music as a conduit for sharing cultural heritage, providing a physical and emotional bond and enhancing individual identity for the young and old.

Hundreds of care homes are expected to join in this project that links them to local schools and youth groups using the power of music and the internet. This will reduce the isolation that has been created by Covid restrictions.

All homes will be matched to a local school or youth group. Both the care home residents and the young people will choose songs that are meaningful to them and share them with each other. This musical introduction will act as a vehicle into further connection, creativity and stronger community links across England.

Music has been recognised as an effective way of engaging people including those with dementia which make up a large proportion of care home residents. This project builds on the impact of the BBC Music for Dementia initiative in September as part of World Alzheimer’s Month.

An initial programme ‘Musical Conversations’ run by IMM with MHA showed the transformative value of these musical connections. One resident commented, “”Music is so powerful and it’s been really uplifting receiving personalised messages from the most wonderful children. Long may it continue!”

Together with Music will build virtual connections between care homes and their local communities through the winter months when so many are feeling isolated, depressed and disconnected. Through music and the act of music making, the project aims to raise awareness, establish links and in turn, tackle loneliness, isolation and promote sustainable socialising for those most vulnerable. This campaign will encourage community partnerships and empower care staff, teachers and community members to play an active role in their neighbourhoods. Through connection and collaboration, it will build strong, creative and resilient communities and offer both the young and the old an opportunity to explore, develop and come together in music.

Launch care provider partners are Barchester Healthcare, Hallmark Care Homes and MHA. The education partner is Sing up! The project has been made possible with funding from Tunstall Healthcare and the Hallmark Care Homes Foundation, along with supporting contributions from Oomph!, Independent Age, Zenergi and CoolCare.

Professor Martin Green, the CEO Care England, said, “Care homes are especially mindful of the need to consider the emotional and spiritual well being of residents whilst restrictions are in place to protect them from Covid-19. This project will bring a ray of sunshine to thousands of lives and help counter feelings of isolation during the winter months.”

IMM Director, Charlotte Miller, said,  “We are thrilled that we are partnering with Care England in this exciting intergenerational campaign. Together with Music will connect young people with care home residents through music to raise awareness, establish links and in turn, tackle loneliness, isolation and promote sustainable socialisation for those most vulnerable. It shall be through these magical connections and collaborations that Together with Music will build strong, creative and resilient communities. It starts with a song!”

Exercise classes and activities are to be beamed into care homes through new Oomph! On Demand service, tackling lockdown loneliness and inactivity. Sport England, Arthritis Action and Boccia England are among partners working with us to reach tens of thousands of older adults through the platform, which is endorsed by Care England and National Care Forum.

National sports associations, leisure attractions and wellbeing experts are lending their support to the world’s first on demand, holistic lifestyle and exercise service for care homes, which has already gone live in more than 200 UK ‘early adopter’ care homes.

Oomph! On Demand will be streamed into UK care homes as part of our mission to enhance the minds, bodies and souls of care home residents, particularly during lockdown.

Our specialist wellbeing instructors have played a key role in the creation of content and are adding many new activities each week. Care home staff and residents will be able to select activities according to their desired wellbeing goal or resident’s personal interests.

The project is being championed by Care England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care and the National Care Forum, the membership body for not for profit care providers. The development of the online platform and ongoing schedule of activity has been made possible through funding from Sport England and UnLtd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs.

Professor Martin Green OBE, CEO of Care England said:

“Care England is delighted to support Oomph! on Demand. This great new platform is really innovative and it is also well tailored to life during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.  We know that activities and exercise are so important for all and it’s exciting to have a means to bring such energy to all care homes up and down the country”.

Forest Healthcare’s 13 Care Homes have been using the new platform. Its CEO, Amanda Scott, said:

“Engagement in meaningful activities for our residents is critical. Oomph! has allowed us to continue unhindered through the most difficult of circumstances when other traditional activities have not been possible. This partnership with Oomph! is pivotal in enhancing the lives of our residents.”

Many new clients, including Healthcare Homes Group’s 45 homes, have come to Oomph! in recent weeks to sign up for On Demand. In order to meet the needs of care homes during lockdown and beyond, Oomph! has pivoted from its core services of day trips and face to face training for care home staff. The new online model and pricing have already increased the reach of its wellbeing activities.

The project has been spearheaded by Steve Gardner, Wellbeing Director, Oomph! on Demand, a qualified personal trainer who also delivers an array of motivational seated exercise sessions on the platform. He said:

“Care home residents are losing out on so much, including the chance to see family members and to take outings. We have sharpened our focus on the life affirming things that older adults can still do. On Demand is a no-brainer for enhancing quality of life in every care home in the UK. We’re working closely with care home residents to ensure we are catering for every conceivable taste.”

Oomph! on Demand is available to care homes for unlimited use at £95/month.  Discounts are available to members of the National Care Forum and Care England.

Vic Rayner, Executive Director, National Care Forum said:

“Oomph! has once again shown their excellence in innovation by bringing their resources and support online through Oomph! On Demand. Covering their range of engaging activity ideas, exercise inspiration and training tools all in one easy to navigate platform, Oomph! On Demand provides a whole world of wellbeing resources and support, whenever you need it. NCF has consistently raised the role of digital innovation and is excited to offer discounted access as a benefit of membership.”

Alongside the content hub, a training platform offering e-learning courses and virtual practical assessments will go live in December. Oomph!’s Training on Demand will offer courses on exercise leadership and the planning and delivery of activities  as well as upskilling workshops covering topics such as sports, nature and drama, which are even more relevant when outside entertainers are unable to provide meaningful engagement in homes.

From Christmas themed walking aids to Harley Davidson frames, Forest Healthcare homes across the UK have been taking part in a fantastic falls prevention challenge.

The initiative, supported by Oomph!, is challenging Forest Healthcare homes and their residents to glam up their walking aids, to help residents recognise their own frame – as, currently, a lot of walking aids have a uniform appearance and it can be difficult to tell these apart.

The initiative has been embraced by homes, and has resulted in some incredibly creative entries. The standard grey and silver tones have been replaced with an array of exciting person-centered themes, such as Christmas and remembrance themed frames at The Grange, a Chelsea FC themed frame at Hassingham House and a beehive themed frame at Grace Manor (photos can be found at the bottom of this article). Residents have been delighted with the results and keen to pose for photos with their new and improved wheels.

Belmont Lodge in Essex, tells us about one of their meaningful, person-centred and imaginative entries, which is writing and Salvation Army themed.

The Activities Coordinator commented; “One resident, Geoff, and I have created a frame of memories that matter to him. The aim was to empower him by creating this frame and reminiscing about meaningful memories he has had throughout his life. We have been working alongside Geoff and his children to find some lovely moments that he holds dear.

There was a heartfelt memory of his wife, Joan, who lives in the home with him, writing him a poem for their anniversary. Throughout Geoff’s life, he has also spent his time writing books and hymns  – which was one of his skills that we asked him to utilise when it came to decorating his frame! Our main theme was centred on Geoff and Joan’s time in the Salvation Army where they did extensive work looking after 300 orphaned boys in Korea. Geoff loves putting on his Salvation Army uniform which takes him back to the wonderful times he spent doing a job that he loved with the woman he loved!”

Amanda Scott, CEO of Forest Healthcare, tells us more about the initiative, “An initiative that involves residents, improves safety AND creates so much buzz and laughter from residents and team members is too good to pass by. I am delighted by the personalisation that has been included, showing that our team members really know our residents well. Perhaps next we can throw down the gauntlet to other Care Home groups and have a National Hot Wheels Competition?”

Ben Allen, CEO of Oomph!, “We love creative initiatives with a purpose! As well as regular exercise, ensuring that a resident’s walking aid is recognisable as their own – plus making them a stylish fashion accessory – is a great way to raise awareness and prevent falls. A huge well done to all of the teams and residents at the Forest Healthcare homes for their enthusiasm and hard work… The results are amazing!”