Activities and Outgoings
Enhancing our residence quality of life
At The Retreat, we believe that all who live here should expect their quality of life to be enhanced by the provision of safe, well-maintained and comfortable facilities. At the same time as supporting our residents, we encourage them to remain independent and resourceful.
Our home offers a wide range of activities designed to help each person to remain mobile and lead an interesting and happy life. Our cheerful staff encourage everyone to pursue their own hobbies and interests, and to engage in craft activities. When a person joins us at The Retreat we make a point of finding out what interests and activities they enjoy; also, at our regular residents' meetings we discuss activities and outings, and ask for ideas and suggestions. We display information about all our events on the main notice board. We also make sure to ask if everyone is satisfied with the activities we've organised.
Many of our residents enjoy gardening, and we always encourage them. In our large greenhouse they can help to raise and nurture plants for the garden and the house. We often make visits to garden centres, not just to benefit the gardens but also to refresh ourselves' gardening can be a powerful healing activity. Our picture shows two of our residents having fun sorting out the best of the lavender flowers they have picked in order to make pot-pourri for their bedrooms.
The Lavender Girls
As well as providing a stimulating environment at The Retreat, we also try to give our residents a rich social life. We often visit Buckfast Abbey gardens where there are gift shops and a superb ? the atmosphere is tranquil and spiritually uplifting. We sometimes enjoy musical soirees at venues such as Saltram House; on these occasions we often dress in our best to make the most of the event. On the first and third Mondays of each month there is a tea dance at the local church hall. This is great fun for our residents, and they can meet new friends and rekindle old friendships.
However, we never impose our ideas, and we never force people into group activities against their will. If you so choose we've quiet areas where you can sit quietly and read, or contemplate nature, or simply enjoy a quiet nap in peace.
We are happy to make the necessary arrangements to meet your religious and spiritual needs, and we will ensure that our staff are aware of what you have requested. At the same time, no resident will feel pressured into attending a church service or receiving a pastoral visit.
