The value of time spent outdoors at Peverel court care

With summer in full-swing we are enjoying our outside spaces more than ever. Read on to discover the benefits of getting outside for older people, the many ways we enjoy the great outdoors in our care homes, and what our residents, staff and families love the most about getting outside.

The sun is out, the flowers are blooming and at Peverel Court Care Homes we are making the most of our outside spaces. We aim to do this all-year round (wrapping up against the cold when needed), but summer time naturally lends itself to more of our residents wanting to go outside.

Why is getting outside beneficial?

Natural England recommend that we all spend at least two hours a week outside to support our health and wellbeing. For older people, the benefits of getting outside are numerous, including:

• Fresh air aiding oxygen intake – supporting everything from breathing to energy levels.
• Natural light helping to regulate sleep patterns.
• Sunlight providing natural vitamin D to boost immunity.
• Outdoor activities like gardening helping a person’s appetite (as well as being sociable and fun).

Mental health is known to be particularly well-supported when time is spent in nature, as documented by The Mental Health Foundation’s work. Mind also support these concepts, explaining how time in nature can help everything from stress reduction to self-esteem boosting.

Getting outdoors at Peverel Court Care Homes

For all of these reasons and more we encourage our residents, staff and families to take advantage of our beautiful outside spaces to enjoy recreation, relaxation, celebrations, socialising and more. In groups we often enjoy getting outside to share meals, sports and simple pleasures like a cup of tea with sunshine and a gentle breeze on our faces. We also organise specific events in our gardens, recently enjoying animal therapy visits and a dog show thanks to our ongoing partnership with Paws PT, crazy golf, a vintage car show, food trucks, summer garden parties and, most recently of all, an outdoors cheese and wine tasting.

Our outside areas lend themselves ideally to one-to-one time too, with open spaces to explore and seating areas to rest. We love seeing our carers or family members walking (or wheeling) and talking with our residents, helping everyone to ‘Be Active’ and ‘Take Notice’ of the world around them, two facets of the Five Ways to Wellbeing. This evidenced-based programme – devised by the New Economics Foundation and consisting of Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give – is about practical actions we can all take to boost our wellbeing. We particularly like the Five Ways to Wellbeing because they are achievable daily for residents and staff alike.

Getting outside doesn’t stop within the boundaries of our care homes either. We actively encourage our residents to go out into their local communities as well as travelling further afield. Two of our most memorable recent trips in our PCC minibuses were to Ascot and Kew Gardens. 

What our residents, staff and families like most about spending time outside

Whilst knowing the reasons why getting outside is so beneficial for our bodies and minds is useful, it’s the feedback we get from our residents, staff and families about what they like most about getting outdoors that really makes us smile.

Joyce D said

“It’s lovely to sit outside here (Stone House), and a great place to socialise. I really enjoyed the cheese and wine tasting outside with the other ladies. The gardens are beautiful and we were blessed with lovely weather.”

John F said

“I enjoy my daily walks around the gardens. We are lucky to have so much space and the views of the Chilterns are wonderful. It’s lovely to have the animals so close to us too.”

About Peverel Court Care

Peverel Court Care is a group of one residential and two nursing homes, located in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Bartlett’s Residential Care Home and Stone House Nursing Home in Aylesbury, and Merryfield House Nursing Home in Witney. We are a long-standing family business. Providing exceptional, personalised care, delivered by talented and compassionate people, in exclusive and idyllic settings.

With happiness at the heart of our homes, we recognise and respect the contribution made by our residents to society during their lifetimes. Valued by residents and their families; our reputation, investment in each property, and approach to appointing and developing our staff makes each home unique and the benchmark in premium care.