Patients, staff, and families at Cygnet Hospital Harrow came together for an exuberant celebration at their annual summer carnival fun day.
Nestled on London Road in Harrow on the Hill, Cygnet Hospital Harrow, managed by Cygnet Health Care, provides mental health services for both men and women with a 60-bed facility.
Organised by the hospital’s dedicated staff in collaboration with service users, the summer festival featured a range of activities tailored to preferences. The day’s agenda, orchestrated by the occupational therapy team, included football matches, field games, ‘guess how many’ candy jar challenges, karaoke sessions, and a light-hearted whipped cream ‘pie’ throwing tradition involving team members.
Families and carers of service users were warmly invited to join in the festivities, enhancing the sense of community. Attendees also enjoyed a delightful BBQ lunch courtesy of the hospital’s catering team.
Michelle van Vuren, Head of Occupational Therapy at Cygnet Hospital Harrow, highlighted the event’s significance: “Social interaction is an important aspect of a rehabilitation program, as the goal is to support individuals to become more independent in the community.
“The aim of the fun day was to give service users the opportunity to participate in various leisure activities by encouraging social interaction with others.
“Some of the therapeutic aspects addressed were facilitating social interaction as verbal and nonverbal communication is often challenging for our autistic service users).
“The day also helped to improve self-esteem by supporting patients to achieve goals in activities and it improved mood by encouraging them to engage in physical activities.
“It also facilitated basic life skills during the activities such as problem-solving, decision-making and planning.
“The leisure aspect of the event informed positive behaviour and motivated service users to participate meaningfully.
”Four of the service users requested to have fun day every Friday.”
