Royal Star & Garter has launched a new wellbeing programme which will expand and improve on the services already provided by the charity.

The programme, when it is fully operational, will build on the person-centred care already delivered at Royal Star & Garter’s three homes, bringing “joy, interest and fulfilment”, and addressing “aspects of physical, mental and psychological health”, according to director of care Pauline Shaw.

Royal Star & Garter is a charity that provides care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia, from homes in Solihull, Surbiton and High Wycombe.

The new programme will be led by a Wellbeing Team delivering activities, companionship, outings and exercise and will extend from a five to a seven-day-a-week service. Once fully running, every member of staff will be trained to assist with a resident’s wellbeing and the in-house physiotherapy rooms will continue to provide vital physical exercise and mental stimulation for residents.

Royal Star & Garter will work with wellbeing service provider Oomph!, which works with many other care settings, delivering training, resources, ideas, inspiration and a vast library of online material.

“At the heart of care is acknowledging someone’s wellbeing, which is the essence of what we do, and considers every part of a person’s life,” said Shaw. “I believe we will achieve this with our new Wellbeing Programme. The new service will create a positive impact and will be delivered by people who really understand our work, our values, what we stand for and ultimately the residents and their specific needs.”

The new training will also help staff look for visual clues and body language of illbeing (the opposite of wellbeing), which is harder to recognise if the resident is living with dementia or unable to communicate verbally.

Events that bring health benefits will be showcased as part of the wellbeing programme, such as Nutrition, Hydration Week in March and The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. 

Royal Star & Garter will also be celebrating all aspects of wellbeing throughout 2022, so the charity can promote its importance in its supporters’ lives as well as its homes. As part of this, the charity will be using the hashtag #YearOfWellbeing 

Read Pauline’s blog here.