As the Care In Kent team continues to explore the core values that make up who we are and what we do, we come to ‘Enrichment’ and what it means to improve the quality of life of those that we care for. As people get older, and day-to-day tasks become more difficult due to health problems or limited mobility, it can be easy to lose sight of what makes an individual ‘them’.
An avid gardener, or sports person might no longer be able to do what they love because of chronic pain…perhaps someone who enjoys cooking or reading no longer partakes in these interests because problems with their eyesight or memory make following recipes and text too difficult.
What Enrichment means to us
Because of issues like this, older people all too often end up stuck in a rut that only features the basics, such as watching TV, eating and sleeping. But, at Care In Kent we understand how important it is for the mental and physical health, and the quality of life of older adults, that they stay engaged and involved in the activities that they enjoy for as long as possible. This is what enrichment means to us, doing all we can to encourage and facilitate hobbies and interests – whatever a person’s ability level – in order to ensure that seniors can continue to live a fulfilling life.
For our carers that can mean speaking to our clients and their families about their lives and what it is they enjoy. Knowing an older person’s interests – past and present – can be the key to sparking stimulating conversation, and could even ignite a long-forgotten interest or passion. We can enrich our client’s lives by helping them to find new ways to enjoy hobbies that they might think are now closed off to them forever.
Keeping up to date with local enrichment opportunities
By making our clients and their families aware of new technologies and mobility aids we can help those in our care to carry on their interests. Older bookworms might love being introduced to audiobooks, music, and film fans might not know that platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and movie-streaming services make it easy to find all of your favourite songs and movies from your youth, and lovers of jigsaw puzzles can now complete them digitally via a touchscreen – ideal for those with conditions such as arthritis or Parkinson’s. The Care In Kent family also keeps abreast of seniors clubs, groups, and societies that are available in the community, so that we can let our clients know if there are any activities in the area that might appeal to them, and for those that are housebound, we can show them how to take virtual field trips to places of interest, and how to use Zoom and Skype to stay in touch with friends and loved ones.
We count enrichment among our core values because we understand the benefits that come from engaging in interests – whatever our age! – including alleviating boredom and lack of motivation, enhancing self-confidence, and improving independence. These are all benefits we want your loved ones to enjoy, along with improved physical abilities, and improved memory. For us, caring is about so much more than making sure someone is clean, comfortable and well-fed; we want to enrich our client’s lives by speaking to their passions and encouraging them to stay interested and active, both physically and mentally.
Enrichment at our core
And we know that enrichment is a two-way street at Care In Kent. Our lives are just as enriched by those we care for, as we hope theirs are by us. We work with our clients as a team, learning from them and their life experiences, swapping and sharing knowledge, and ensuring that we make their lives as full as they make ours.
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