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Izal Toilet Paper and Roman Loos!

A fascinating afternoon of history! 📚
Our residents had a wonderful time listening to an interesting talk on the history of medicine by our wonderful volunteer, Peter Wood.
Peter brought lots of different artifacts (from the Tyne and Wear Archives Service) demonstrating how medicine has evolved over the years. We learnt about hygiene in Roman times, the Black Death in the 1400s and consumption and cholera in the Victorian era.
More recently, we shared memories about health advice given to new mums in the ‘50s and ‘60s, info on weaning and vaccinations and the NHS (which launched in 1948). Most remembered the awful Izal or Bronco toilet rolls, horrible cough mixtures and the ubiquitous potty under the bed!
Our resident John B shared “the session with Peter was very interesting and thought provoking, and I thoroughly enjoyed it”.
Thank you so much to Peter for giving such an interesting talk – we’re looking forward to the next one.

Sunshine, Sea and Icecream

We had a glorious trip out to Blyth seaside last week with eight of our lovely residents (and lots of volunteers and staff members!) The weather was warm and sunny and we enjoyed a walk along the promenade, lots of icecream and a delicious lunch of fish and chips. Margaret said “the sea air is wonderful. And the fish lunch was lovely and fresh. I’m tired now – it must be the change of air.” John and Ernie enjoyed the sea views and admired the colourful beach huts and Margaret (“Fluffy”) told us “I had a wonderful day and I loved the fact that the bus driver took us around the coast of Tynemouth and Whitley Bay so we could see all the sights.” Thank you to our wonderful volunteers, staff members and the bus driver for helping to make it such a memorable summer trip.

Pony Power: Bringing Joy to Our Residents

Our residents had the most magical day today with a special visit from a furry friend! KL Therapy Ponies brought along Cartier the tiny chestnut pinto pony to meet all our residents, and he brought lots of smiles to everyone at Charlotte Straker House. Residents and staff loved stroking and patting him, and Cartier was happy to be the centre of attention. Nancy said, “what a beauty!” whilst Clare added “he feels so soft and warm”. Cartier didn’t bat an eyelash whilst riding up and down in our lift to visit residents in their bedrooms and Margaret M said, “thank you so much for bringing him up to my bedside so I can pat him”. Finally, the little pony dropped into our “Knit and Natter” group, who made him a knitted flower to plait into his mane. Thank you so much to KL Therapy for bringing Cartier and spreading so much horsey happiness!

Hooked on Happiness: Our Fishing Day Adventure

We took Ernie, John, Muriel and Joan M to New Mills in Brampton for a supported fishing session. New Mills Fly Fishing Lake is stocked lots of different types of trout, and our residents had a great time trying to catch their own fish. John said, “I enjoy the fresh air – I’m not so bothered about the fishing, but I love sitting by the lake”. Ernie said he “very much enjoyed” his fishing session AND his lunchtime beer 😊 , whilst Muriel added “it’s a lovely day and the staff are so kind and helpful”. Thank you to nurse Ian, senior carer Jill, volunteer Avril and activities coordinator Jayne, for accompanying our residents and making sure everyone enjoyed their morning out.