At Arlington House, we like to keep our residents busy and active. From walking clubs to bingo and from pub quizzes to pamper sessions, we try and make each day different. We feel it’s also important to carry out a range of sensory activities. These activities specifically help our residents with their cognitive skills, which includes their ability to think, learn, remember, reminisce and retain attention/concentration.

Here are just a few examples of our recent sensory activities:

Chocolate tasting: Our residents were given different chocolates to taste, and they had to write down what they thought each one was. Once everyone got over the excitement of doing an activity involving chocolate, we saw people’s brains working as they tried to identify each item. Many residents were remembering which chocolates they enjoyed in their childhood, and many couldn’t tell the difference with turkish delight and caramel when it came to the crunch!

Mystery sensory box: Our residents were given a concealed box containing a variety of different objects. Using only their sense of touch, they had to identify as many objects as they could. Not one resident managed to correctly guess all items, as the stumbling block was a drinking straw that everyone thought was a pen!

Clay-based crafts: Everyone played with clay or plasticine as some point in their childhood and we took our residents on a trip down memory lane with this activity. Some residents showed their creativity by making small flowers and people, whereas other residents simply enjoyed the feel of the clay in their hands.

Fruit tasting: Eat healthy and stimulate your brain at the same time – this was a win-win activity. Our residents tasted a variety of fruit (including certain ones they had never tried or even heard of!) and had to tell us what they thought of each one. The beauty about this activity was its simplicity and the fact that it engaged all five senses.

Musical activities: When it comes to sound, nothing beats a bit of music. That’s why we do a range of activities, including exercise classes, sing-a-longs and playing instruments, that resonate around the home. Music makes people feel good and we encourage our residents to create their own playlists too.

Sensory activities are fun, educational and trigger great emotions. They play a key part in keeping everyone’s senses in check, but most importantly they put a smile on our residents’ faces.