Our colleagues at Alderwood have been encouraging John, one of their residents, to maintain a bird feeder in the home’s garden.
This idea was inspired by a bird of prey experience day that the Alderwood team arranged for the residents, during which the team noticed how much John enjoyed interacting with the different birds.
Having discovered John’s love for birds, the team came up with a plan to encourage him to spend some time outside of his room and enjoy some fresh air in the garden, to boost his wellbeing. They arranged for a bird feeder to be installed in the garden. to encourage more birds to visit the area and to provide John with a project he could enjoy getting stuck into.
John also helped the team to build a bird box and fix it to one of the trees in the garden, in the hopes of attracting some feathery residents!
The team also got John a bird-watching book, so he can identify the different birds and keep track of them in his log. So far, a magpie has taken up residence in the garden and likes to sleep on the roof above John’s room!
On colder days, John can also keep track of the birds that visit the garden from the comfort of his bedroom, as the feeder is conveniently placed just outside his window.
This is a lovely example of person-centred care, and shows our colleagues’ compassion and close attention to detail. We look forward to reviewing John’s bird log next time we visit Alderwood!