Service users from Blyth Star Enterprises’ adult social care day service, The Steamboat, have paid a visit to a local care home to donate a set of fidget blankets to its residents.
Handmade by our service users under the supervision of The Steamboat staff, the ‘fidget’ or sensory blankets are designed to provide sensory stimulation and engagement for individuals with sensory processing disorders, dementia, or other sensory-related challenges.
Quilted together like a patchwork, the blankets are made up from a series of colourful swatches to which elements like ribbons, zippers, soft toys and buttons are then added to give the wearer something to play with to support them with mental stimulation and anxiety control.
Having worked on the blankets as a group project over the course of the winter months, service users at The Steamboat decided that they wanted to gift them to a local care home whose residents could get the most benefit from them. After a little research, Blyth Star reached out to Waterloo House Rest Home in Blyth – a specialist provider for elderly people, including those who have dementia or learning disabilities, who were delighted to accept the donation.
Stacey Holmes, Senior Carer at Waterloo House Rest Home, commented:
“We’re really grateful to Blyth Star for their kind donation of the fidget blankets, our residents are going to love them!”
Carol Boyd, Steamboat Day Services Manager at Blyth Star Enterprises, added:
“We’re so pleased that the fidget blankets have gone to a good home. They were a real labour of love for all of our staff and service users who worked on them and we hope that the residents at Waterloo House get a lot of benefit from using them.”
