Positive ageing
At Drymmau Hall, we believe in the potential for fulfilment of all those who choose to make their home here with us. Our philosophy is that we see life as a continual journey of intellectual, emotional, creative and physical growth, and despite the undoubted challenges that ageing often presents, we choose not to accept that this period of later life is necessarily about decline in the fullest sense.
Latest statistics in the UK point to increased longevity with women on average living until eighty-three and men to almost eighty. With continuing improvements in health care and living conditions, these figures are set to rise.
Our experience shows us that despite living longer, those often entrusted to our care often have to navigate chronic health conditions, both physical and mental. Our response to this is to focus on what can be done to mitigate these situations, not what can’t.
At Drymmau Hall, we promote personal growth, with a focus on wellbeing, personal autonomy, a sense of purpose and active engagement. All this we do by making sure we provide opportunities to maintain physical health through nutrition and exercise as appropriate; emotional wellbeing through a caring staff who actively listen to what they are being told and act upon it; and social connection through a wide range of activities. Together, we try to ensure dignity and respect for our residents, and that they have voice and a true sense of active belonging to the ‘mini society’ we have created here.
J (to protect her privacy) is one of our extended family and is an exemplar of positive ageing, boldly showing how she is rallying against outdated stereotypes of the group that is often bundled together as ‘the elderly.’
J will tell you that she is proudly in her eighties, that she has numerous health issues including macular degeneration and glaucoma. She will tell you that some days “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” and yet, on other days, she has a list of things “to do when you don’t feel old!”
As a competitive and motivated woman who played badminton and national level in her youth and was a keen runner and table-tennis player, today she ensures she gets her 10,000+ steps in by walking with Quentin her dog in the expansive grounds here at Drymmau. “Yes, I’ve got arthritis,” she says. “But I know I have to keep moving.” When she’s not physically active, she is politically engaged, reading newspapers online. Of course, J is IT literate and does a lot of her own shopping (and for other residents) online, as well as doing her banking digitally. She says she feels safe and secure at Drymmau but still has her independence which makes her who she is.
We’d like to think that we offer not just J, but all our extended family, the rich environment, freedom and independence to enable them to be “their own person” for as long as their journey continues at Drymmau Hall.