The spotlight was shone on staff and residents at Manor House care home in Oxford, who were featured in a special Oomph! video celebrating their excellent innovation in exercise for older people.
Oomph! is an award-winning social enterprise which delivers engaging and accessible exercise classes for older people, promoting mobility, stimulation, and social interaction. The classes are co-designed with care home residents and fun is at the heart of each activity.
Amber Derbyshire, who is the Activities Coordinator at Manor House, has gone to great lengths to design classes which inspire and enthuse residents, whilst also helping them to keep fit, healthy, and happy. Oomph! classes at Manor House have seen residents pom-pomming on a boat trip down Henley-on-Thames and glittering in sequined get-up at Southsea. Most recently, residents were glided along the ice in their wheelchairs for a class at Oxford ice-rink.
One long-time Manor House resident, Sylvia, has particularly benefitted from the classes. After suffering from anxiety, Sylvia had been hesitant to engage with other residents, but becoming an ‘Oompher’ renewed her confidence and she has taken great leaps forward in making new friends in the Manor House community.
The Manor House team also received organisation-wide recognition for their leadership in developing creative activities for residents, with the Oomph! video premiering at the Embrace Manager’s conference.
Manor House is part of Embrace, and provides personalised nursing, residential and dementia care for older people.
Activities Coordinator, Amber Darbyshire, commented:
“The whole team works really hard to ensure that each and every resident is able to participate in activities which suit their personal needs and interests. Oomph! shows that residents can be supported to exercise in in a fun and accessible way, and regular exercise has a very positive impact on their health, wellbeing and happiness.”
“We are excited to keep on developing exciting new ways to keep residents fit and happy, and running Oomph! classes are a core part of that.”
Manor House Service Manager, Jane Ritchie, commented:
“Everyone at Manor House is getting involved in designing and delivering Oomph! classes, and it has made the whole team more dynamic and creative. I’ve seen colleagues become more confident in planning, adapting and delivering exciting new activities for residents, and the benefits have been enormous.”
“The benefits of Oomph! resonate throughout Manor House. Staff are really enthusiastic about getting involved, residents can exercise at a pace which suits them, and their loved ones are delighted about how fun it is.”
