How a Day Out Helped Ellen Find Her Confidence

At Highfield Hall Care Home in Haslingden, Ellen doesn't often choose to join their community outings. But when Wellbeing Leads Karen and Diane were planning a visit to Bents Garden Centre, they recognised it might be a good opportunity to encourage her to come along. She’s been speaking about wanting some ginger chocolates and her friends were also going to be on the trip.

"Go on then, I’ll give it a go," she said.

Although a little hesitant at first, once the ladies started chatting on the minibus, something changed. Ellen began to relax and was swept up in the conversation, recalling memories of her life.

The lovely Ellen.

At the garden centre, Ellen enjoyed browsing the Christmas displays, exploring the market stalls before enjoying a lovely lunch with her friends.

She was on her mission too, determined to find some ginger chocolates. She and Wellbeing Lead Diane scoured the stalls high and low until they eventually came upon some ginger creams. “Close enough.” Mission accomplished.

On the way home, Ellen said:

"I've had a really nice time. Thank you so much for that."

Since the trip, Ellen has been much chattier and Wellbeing Leads Karen and Diane have noticed her smiling more. She now waves when she sees Diane, who spends a lot of her time with residents on our Dementia unit.

Getting out into the community can make such a difference to our residents' wellbeing. A change of scenery and a little adventure often boosts confidence and provides opportunities for new friendships to form. For those who may have become more withdrawn or hesitant, sometimes one outing can be a turning point.

At Each Other Care, we know how important it is to support residents to take that first step and to notice when something as simple as a trip to the garden centre might open a door. For Ellen, it was the start of many more adventures together.

If you are exploring residential care, dementia care, or respite care for yourself or a loved one in Haslingden, we'd love to open a conversation.