CARE HOME RESIDENTS HIT THE BEACH

Life’s a beach for residents at one Llanelli care home.

They  may be a couple of hundred feet about sea level but residents at a Llanelli Carmarthenshire council run care home, Y Plas, Felinfoel,  have the beach at their door step.

When the sun shines residents just have to step outside off their patio to enjoy a beach experienced without any travel involved.

Imaginative staff at Y Plas, have imported a couple of tonnes of sand to their garden and set up deck chairs and serve ice cream to their occupants from a specially made cart.

The walls about are decorated with beach hut decorations  and flapping plastic seagulls. They have buckets and spades, lilo’s, beach balls and windbreaks for a full day at the beach experience.

Manager at Y Plas, Jane Gingell said: “We have introduced a number of imaginative and stimulating ideas in the last year. The beach project has been a great challenge but the residents love it and have even kicked off their shoes and been building sand castles.

“We might be waiting a long time for the tide to come in for them to have a paddle have a paddle but it is a popular fun activity that puts a lot of smiles on faces on sunny days.”

“We have a lot more ideas in the pipeline. In the last year we have also created a vintage tea room, a pampering room, craft room, aroma therapy room and, so the men don’t feel left out, they have a snooker and games room too.”

County executive board member for social care and health, Cllr Jane Tremlett said she visits the home often and is impressed to see how involved in all the imaginative activities the residents at the home are.

“The beach is inspirational and so much fun. It is creating lots of laughter  and helping to fulfil the lives of those in residential care by pushing the boundaries in a safe and manageable way.”