Oomph! Wellness

The second topic in our Create mini-series is: Creating Collages.

Edgar Degas said “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see”. A “collage” describes both the technique and the resulting work of art in which pieces of paper, photographs, fabric and other objects are arranged and stuck down onto a supporting surface.

Jack McKechnie, our expert Lead Wellbeing Coordinator, talks us through the process…

The first topic in our Create mini-series is: See What You Say.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Every artist was first an amateur”.

Creative activities provide opportunities for everyone, regardless of their ability. They enable people to engage with each other and their own creativity, directly improving their sense of wellbeing. Taking part in creative activities can reduce stress and increase social engagement, providing a fantastic opportunity for self-expression.

These activities don’t need to be complex or require lots of materials! Jack McKechnie, our expert Lead Wellbeing Coordinator, has a simple creative activity to stimulate the mind, that only requires pencils, paper and an object…

The popularity of home workouts has increased exponentially with the Covid-19 pandemic – keeping fit and healthy is vital for mental and physical wellbeing, especially at a time when we’re still facing restrictions. But, if you’ve never tried exercising before, or its been a while since you last did physical activity, it can be a daunting prospect.

Our exercise expert, Steve Gardner, shares his top tips for anyone starting to exercise, either for the first time or after a period of inactivity…

Purpose

Is this something that you want to commit to, and not just a one-off? If your answer is yes, then it’s important to understand WHY you want to start exercising. Without understanding what you can achieve and how it will benefit you, inevitably your commitment could wane pretty quickly.

Start by taking a look at how exercise can support and benefit you specifically. This will be different for every person, so what would be most impactful for you? Perhaps increased mobility levels, increased range of movement, pain relief or easier breathing? Or how about reduced isolation, increased independence or a sense of achievement and structure?

People often focus on the physical benefits of getting moving, where in fact there are intellectual, emotional and social benefits that will have a tremendous impact on your life. Think of exercise as a holistic approach to your all-round wellbeing – understanding why YOU are doing it will support the ability to influence continuity months down the line.

Exciting Exercise

When embarking on your journey of exercise, it’s worth thinking of your options. The best results come primarily from doing things you enjoy – if you’re having fun, it won’t feel as much like hard work and you’ll want to keep doing it! After all, doing something that’s physically active provides benefits mentally, physically and emotionally, but is completely underpinned by enjoyment! This dramatically increases the chances of success and achievement.

Slow and steady wins the race

Once you have decided what you are doing and understand why you are doing it, you need to consider what level of intensity will work best for you. Exercise intensity refers to how hard your body is working during physical activity. Your health and fitness goals, as well as your current level of fitness, will determine your ideal exercise intensity. Typically, exercise intensity is described as low, moderate or vigorous.

If you have had a period of inactivity, then it is advised to start off with low intensity for a short period of time, and then build this up over the months. During this time, you will need to balance intensity and length of session. Set yourself some achievable targets that do not cause pain or discomfort, and aim for slow and steady increases in intensity over a period of months.

Compound movements

Compound exercises are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time. For example, a chest press (this is where you have both arms by your chest and push forward) is a compound exercise that works both the chest and arms. Using multiple muscles and joints will not isolate specific parts of the body, which could then cause injury. The amount of times you then complete each movement, combined with the speed of the action, starts to build a structure to your exercise session. But note – going more quickly does not always make it harder! Slowing the movement down to a very controlled pace can intensify the movement and mean that you work harder.

Session Structure

No matter what the physical activity may be, from an exercise session to gardening, if you are starting to become physically active after a period of being sedentary, include a warm up and a cool down! The thought process of “I could do this before and I will be fine now” could lead to injury and put you off continuing with the task at hand.

The reason behind a warm up is to prepare the body and mind for physical activity. A really good way to do this is to think through the movements needed to the activity. Let’s take gardening as an example – a digging motion may be needed, so you can simply start to replicate the same movements and slowly build up the intensity. You are now actively engaging the muscle groups needed for the task at hand – you have started a functional warm up!

Towards the end of your physical activity session, it’s a really good idea to gently reduce the intensity. Think about the muscles and joints you have been using and mobilise these areas to their full range of movement. For example, if you have been using your upper body, reach in front as far as you can, reach to the sky and then give yourself a cuddle. All these movements should be controlled. This is to try and prevent muscular soreness and stiffness the day after; this can restrict movements.

And remember, only do what you are comfortable with!

Residents of care homes across the UK have been using a template that aims to connect them with their loved ones. As visitors are currently unable to go into care homes, the template means they can catch up without the need for physical contact.

“Missing you lots! Can’t wait until the virus lockdown is over and I can take you out”

Focusing on the positives, the template has space for drawing pictures, sticking photos and writing messages, as well as noting down the things that have made them smile that week. The document is then sent to friends and relatives, who fill in the other side with their own drawings and messages. These are returned to the home for the residents to enjoy.

Encouraging regular communication

One home, Brookvale House in Southampton, part of Brookvale Healthcare, has found the template to be hugely successful at connecting residents with loved ones in a meaningful way, receiving plenty of replies.

A resident at the home and her daughter have been using the templates regularly to exchange messages and clippings as a form of reminiscence. One of the communications included a photo of blue flowers, with the message “A lovely picture for you – blue forget me nots. Remember your song, Two Little Girls in Blue, when your father used to sing it to you. It was a famous song in 1921!”

The resident replied, “I remember the song Two Little Girls in Blue – I remember my dad singing this song together!”

Tunbridge Wells Care Centre, part of Canford Healthcare, have also had replies from loved ones. One child replied to a resident, “Thank you for the letter, I really enjoyed reading it. My positives include splashing in the paddling pool, writing poems and writing this!”

Would you expect to see synchronised swimming in a care home? How about golf? The Olympic Games might be postponed until 2021, but that won’t stop residents across the UK from limbering up to compete in Olympics and Paralympics inspired events this summer…

Bringing something different and exciting to residents is particularly important for care homes right now. That’s why a brand new – and entirely virtual – skills workshop has been created to teach care home staff how to engage older adults in popular sports through exercise moves, themed activities and gameplay. The workshop has been created with help from expert partners – such as the School of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Exeter, as well as Boccia England – and covers a range of Olympic and Paralympic sports and how these can be adapted for any ability.

This first of its kind, the workshop has been kicked off with TLC Care, with 8 care homes coming together via video call to learn all about the sports and how they can use and adapt them to engage residents.

“This was exactly what our team needed. The theme is great, the content is so refreshing for me, the facilitator is amazing and the tools were the best in this pandemic time!” commented a Team Member at Carlton Court, TLC.

Following the workshop, the homes were tasked with running their very own Oomph-lympics with their residents. The homes are now busy hosting opening ceremonies to kick everything off, and are planning special events for the different sports, including Boccia themed weeks and beach parties for their synchronised swimming events.

One attendee from Cooperscroft Care Home said, “The practical side of the training was excellent for me as I am a physical learner. It was fun and it was great to see others joining in and sharing their ideas!”

Vicky Bahmed, Wellbeing Support Manager for TLC Care said, “The workshops are always fun, inclusive and allow us to share ideas and give support”.

Ben Allen, CEO at Oomph!, commented, “We are delighted that we have been able to adapt our training to deliver new, exciting content virtually – especially when care home teams need it most. It is a pleasure to be kicking off the Oomph-lympics with TLC, and we can’t wait to see what the homes have in store for residents… Let the games begin!”

The third topic in our Relax mini-series is: Mindfulness.

In Eastern Philosophy a strong ‘chi’ makes you alive, alert, and present in your mind, body and soul. A weak chi results in sluggishness and fatigue, therefore preventing you from reaching full wellbeing. ‘Chi’ (pronounced ‘chee’) means energy or life force. Jack McKechnie, one of our expert Lead Wellbeing Coordinators, tells us more about how to practice mindfulness…

The second topic in our Relax mini-series is: Breathing.

Within Eastern Philosophy and practice, the breath is viewed as our life force – if we didn’t breathe, we wouldn’t be here. So, if we learn to breathe with more control and efficiency, we will function better! Using a variety of breathing activities offers flexibility and variety to practice, and can improve your breathing. Jack McKechnie, one of our Lead Wellbeing Coordinators, walks us through it…

During unprecedented times, Oomph! are keen to support with stimulating and varied content for older adults. As part of this, we are releasing resources based on our Oomph! skills workshops. These resources, and more, will be uploaded to our Wellbeing Resources Hub.

The first topic in our Relax mini-series is: Morning Pages.

In the book, The Artists Way by Julia Cameron, it is stated that a tool called ‘Morning Pages’ is practised by many people. The activity uses writing as a medium to release inner chatter and to obtain more consciousness throughout the day. Jack McKechnie, one of our expert Lead Wellbeing Coordinators, tells us more about how to use morning pages…