Thriving On Contact

Human beings are social creatures – we thrive on contact, community and a sense of belonging. Study after study across all age groups has shown the importance of regular contact with others to maintain a positive outlook, a functioning immune system and better health outcomes following illness or injury.

Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes the same village to care for the entire community. Now that our villages are becoming more spread out, it’s important to make use of all available resources to maintain social contact.

When families spread out, there can be gaps in social contact for some family members, particularly older ones. The interesting thing about social contact is that it’s a bit like a snowball – the more you have, the more benefits you enjoy, but conversely, loneliness can also be compounding.

At Radius Care, the staff are experts in aged care, and as such, create every possible opportunity for interesting social contact, from exercise programmes, to hobby groups, to organised outings.

At Hampton Court in the Hawkes Bay for example, residents get involved with the tradition of pickling onions at this time of year, so that they have jars are full of tasty tangy little morsels in time for Christmas! It is a huge task with kilos of onions to peel, litres upon litres of brine and even more pickling syrup to be produced, as well as cleaning, sterilising and labelling hundreds of jars.

All the hard work pays off in December when the onions are enjoyed with a nice cheese and a bottle of something delicious.

Residents also regularly visit the RSA where residents catch up with residents from other care facilities, enjoy a social drink (or two) and finish off with a hot cuppa and afternoon tea.

At the end of each week, there is entertainment to look forward to and enjoy. Families are encouraged to come and participate with their loved ones as well. At any stage, visitors are welcome. However, it’s not all action, all the time, relaxation is important and there is plenty of time during the week to stop to catch your breath, smell the roses, or simply enjoy some personal time.

The beauty of all these activities is twofold; firstly, Radius Care residents are well stimulated, have varied and interesting days to look forward to and are exposed to a wide range of experiences.

Secondly, for the busy or far away families who love them, they know that in their absence, their mums and dads are happy and well cared for. It relieves some of the weight of responsibility, and they can just enjoy visits and outings, knowing that the day to day details are well covered.

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