Oaks care home resident taken to Colchester Castle

Gabi Amariei, 57, doesn’t speak English and is non-verbal but dedicated staff at the Oaks care home, in Oaks Drive, Colchester, noted how his face lit up when showed pictures of historic castles so they arranged the trip.

Carers arranged the visit to the castle for Gabi, ensuring to make him feel like a VIP.

Activities coordinator, Kim, with Gabi (Image: Newsquest)

Before the castle tour, staff took Gabi to nearby café The Holy Bagel, for coffee and cake.

Café owner Gavin Sunshine was among those who helped to make a fuss of Gabi for his special day.

Gavin said: “We’ve only been running the café for 15 weeks and we wanted it to be a peaceful space.

"Today has proved that by showing care at our cafe, people that care come in and bring care with them.”

Joining Gabi for the day was a Romanian translator from the University of Essex, through a voluntary programme after the home got in contact with the Students' Union.

Gabi and Kim entering the Castle, with a translator from the University of Essex (Image: Newsquest)

Wellbeing co-ordinator Kim Thompson said the day was a huge success.

She said: “We love getting to know our residents because personalised care is so important.

“With Gabi being non-verbal and having no family members in this country getting to know his likes and dislikes wasn’t immediate but through spending time with him we still found a way.

“We arrange ‘wishes’ for our residents to enjoy, normally based on their requests, and when we discovered Gabi’s love for castles, we knew we had to arrange a day out to Colchester Castle for him.

"With Gabi not having family here it felt important to make him feel special, like the king of the castle.

“It was amazing to see someone’s face have a life changing moment, it was beautiful to watch and to be part of.

"We wanted to arrange something he could really enjoy and he left with a really special day to remember.”