MK Dons Community Trust sessions provide wellbeing boost for care home residents

A care home manager from Milton Keynes has shared how football and physical activity are boosting residents’ physical and mental wellbeing.

Home Manager Grace Madenyika said weekly activity sessions are keeping residents physically, psychologically and socially engaged after Castlemead Care Home in Newport Pagnell teamed up with MK Dons Community Trust.

The football club’s official charity delivers weekly physical activity sessions at the home, alongside providing matchday tickets for residents to attend MK Dons fixtures at Stadium MK.

It comes a year after NHS England outlined how physical activity is essential to wellbeing, adding that physical inactivity contributes to one in six premature deaths in the UK from any cause.

The Trust now operates its adult physical activity sessions – designed to include those who live with a neurological condition - in seven care homes across the city each week and engage two hundred people.

Grace said introducing football and low impact physical activity to the care home has already prompted noticeable differences.

“There is life in care homes, and we have fun in care homes,” said Grace.

“We also want to be involved in the community, and for residents to know what is out there.

“I think when people grow older and develop certain conditions, some can easily write them off – often forgetting to separate the person from the condition they live with.

“What MK Dons Community Trust has done is bring the love of football back.

“One resident would historically never join in or come out of his room for activities. But he is always ready for football, and looks forward to it too – his mobility has improved a great deal for it as well.

“A wife of another resident with early onset dementia said a weight has been taken off her shoulders because of MK Dons Community Trust’s work. Now they both go to matches together, activities of this kind bring families together which is wonderful.

“Some residents might not be football fans prior to the sessions, but to affiliate with people involved in football gives them that smile and connection.”

Sessions at Castlemead Care Home are led by Mark Johnston, the Trust’s community sports development officer.

Mark’s own mother lives with dementia and is cared for at Castlemead Court.

Mark said: “She experienced a bad fall prior to her admission, which is common for those who live with dementia.

“We know between 60 and 80 per cent of people with dementia experience a fall each year, two to three times more than older adults without a cognitive impairment.

“Tailored physical activity programmes for those living with neurological conditions can help bring down the rate to which people experience memory loss, falls and anxiety. Even by sitting down, people can still be active and exercise muscles which are essential to day-to-day mobility.

“We owe opportunities of this kind to the older generation, so they can live their lives to the best potential even when times might be challenging.”

Anyone who represents a care home – or has a relative in care – and would like to learn more about the Trust’s adult physical activity sessions can email info@mkdonscommunitytrust.com.