A luxury Edinburgh care home has enhanced its bespoke five-star care with the resumption of monthly resident meetings after Covid restrictions were lifted.
Residents at Cramond Residence will have the chance to engage in active, regular discussions about their experience in the home and to provide open and honest feedback.
The meetings were halted at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic but care home management believe the facility is an important aspect in promoting independent lifestyles and ensuring residents are mentally fulfilled.
Cramond Residence staff will be able to respond to any question on the running of home – from daily food menus and programmes of activities to the general service – all aimed at promoting community inclusivity.
The monthly meetings have been designed to give residents a key role in their own health and wellbeing and aligns with Cramond Residence’s ethos of ensuring residents continue to live interesting and fulfilling lives, doing things they want to do on their own terms.
Managing Director at Cramond Residence, Graeme Kelly said: “We are delighted to be adding the resident monthly meetings back into our already jam-packed schedule at the care home.
“It will provide our residents with the perfect opportunity to raise any queries so that we can continue improving and adapting, and above all, continue putting the needs of the residents at the heart of what we do.
“Cramond Residence provides an array of activities and specialised, tailored programmes and receiving feedback is an important way of confirming that we are meeting the needs of our residents and maintaining our status as a high-quality care home, providing the best possible care.”
Included in the home’s current offering for residents and curated by its dedicated lifestyle team are bespoke physiotherapy sessions provided by boutique experts, as well as specialist dementia care delivered in an environment that combines luxury hotel living with the reassuring feeling of being in your own home.
Graeme continued: “The resident meetings are optional however, we fully encourage all of our occupants to attend in order to get the best outcomes. We are really looking forward to adding this highly worthwhile service back into our programme of events and will welcome any feedback that we receive.”
Located in Cramond, the care home was launched in 2018 to offer uncompromising nurse-led care, as well as respite and dementia specialist services, and provides small-group living for up to 74 residents in nine luxuriously-appointed homes.
In addition to deluxe accommodation, residents are provided with freshly prepared nutritious meals, best-of-class facilities and a wide range of entertainment. The medication and care provided is based on a detailed personal care plan, which is continually assessed and revised by health care professionals and other experts to ensure that the best possible care is being delivered.
Facilities provided include a cinema and function room, a dedicated games room and also a sensory experience which offers therapeutic activities for those with dementia.
Cramond Residence offer tours of their quality accommodation and facilities, allowing potential residents and loved ones to see the residence for themselves, meet the team and discuss requirements.
Staff from David Wilson Homes took part in a Jubilee Big Tree Plant at Cammo Meadows to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of The Queen’s reign, Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes has planted over 1,500 trees in communities across Britain.
The Jubilee Big Tree Plant saw the country’s largest housebuilder plant trees to recognise the Queen’s wish to create a legacy for future generations.
Douglas McLeod, Regional Managing Director, Scotland said “We wanted to recognise Her Majesty the Queens incredible service to the country and her communities by fulfilling Her Majesty’s wish to plant trees that improve the sustainability of the local environment.
“It was wonderful to bring together residents, staff and local community groups to mark the Queen’s Jubilee celebration.”
Dementia series kick starts with industry expert event at Edinburgh home
A SCOTTISH care home is bringing together some of the country’s leading dementia care experts to launch its bumper calendar of activities to raise awareness of the disease.
With an estimated 90,000 people living with Dementia in Scotland1, Cramond Residence is launching ‘Let’s talk about…Dementia’ to build support and connections within the community while sharing important knowledge.
The home will open its doors to members of the public on 18 June to host the informal event with experts from Alzheimer’s Scotland and Home Help Me Care in attendance, alongside the Dementia care team from Cramond Residence.
Informative stalls will be set up in the garden for the duration of the afternoon event with three expert presentations covering what the world looks like for those with dementia, how to care for someone living with Dementia at home and when it’s the right time to consider residential care.
Rickie Tank, Registered Manager with local support service, Home Help Me Care which specialises in at-home care, said: “We believe that bringing dementia support services that support people in the community enables them a greater chance of experiencing quality care in later years.
“Every day we hear the stressful experiences of people trying to secure the right support for loved ones but no one really guides them through the process or explains the timescales involved and this often means people have to get to a crisis stage before they secure care.
“By coming together with like-minded community support groups and companies like Cramond Residence we want to share our knowledge to make the journey easier.”
The event hopes to raise awareness through educational sessions and discussions for those living or caring for someone with the condition or generally worried about dementia.
Ross Bijak, General Manager at Cramond Residence with more than 10 years of expertise in the healthcare sector and recently completed a master’s degree in Dementia studies, said: “I have lived with a passion for making tiny changes to people’s lives since I started my career in care and in particular for people living with Dementia.
“I aspire to support and educate people who are affected by the condition and have provided 97% of the 123 members of staff at Cramond with some level of dementia training.
“Being part of such an event as the General Manager at the home is a privilege to which I hope to lead by example in explaining how Cramond Residence helps people living with the condition to enjoy a fulfilling and dignified life.”
Alzheimer’s Scotland will also be in attended to provide information and support to make sure nobody faces dementia alone with the charity hosting an interactive session on its isolation prevention initiative, Dementia Friends.
The event starts at 12:30 and refreshments will be provided. To book a seat for the expert presentations, please contact enquiries@cramondresidence.co.uk (please note spaces are limited).
Cramond Residence strives to ensure that those living with dementia live a fulfilled life. The home offers a dedicated dementia floor, specially designed for those living with dementia to allowing them to live a richer and more satisfying life with specialist facilities and trained staff on hand to provide support and relief.
Dementia training sits at the top of the care home’s agenda with 90% of their staff being provided with vital dementia training.
Isotope analysis of ‘bodies in the bog’ found at Cramond reveals several crossed a politically divided Scotland, meeting their end hundreds of miles from their place of birth.
For decades, the skeletal remains of nine adults and five infants found in the latrine of what was once a Roman bath house in Cramond have fascinated archaeologists and the public alike.
Discovered in 1975 they were originally thought to be victims of the plague or a shipwreck from the 14th century.
Then radiocarbon dating showed them to be some 800 years older, dating to the 6th century, or early medieval period.
New bioarchaeological work led by the University of Aberdeen has brought to light more details of their lives and has revealed that several of the group travelled across Scotland to make Cramond their home.
Their investigations change our understanding not only of this important site but of the mobility and connections of people across Scotland in the early medieval period, when the country was broadly divided between the Scotti in Dál Riata to the west, the Picts in most of northern Scotland and the Britons in the south.
The researchers examined the bones and teeth of the group unearthed from what was once the latrine of a bathhouse in a Roman fort, leading to them being coined ‘the bodies in the bog’.
Using isotope analyses they were able to look at the diet and origins of each of the adults in the group.
Professor Kate Britton, senior author of the study, said they were surprised to discover that despite being buried in close proximity to each other – leading to assumptions that they were one family – some were brought up hundreds of miles apart.
“Food and water consumed during life leave a specific signature in the body which can be traced back to their input source, evidencing diet and mobility patterns,” she added.
“Tooth enamel, particularly from teeth which form between around three and six years of age, act like little time capsules containing chemical information about where a person grew up.“When we examined the remains, we found six of them to bear chemical signatures consistent with what we would expect from individuals growing up in the area local to Cramond but two – those of a man and a woman – were very different.
“This suggests that they spent their childhoods somewhere else, with the analysis of the female placing her origins on the West coast.”
“The male instead had an isotopic signature more typical of the Southern Uplands, Southern Highlands or Loch Lomond area so it is likely he came to Cramond from an inland area.”
The findings, published in the Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences journal, provide one of the first insights into early medieval population mobility in Scotland.
Dr Orsolya Czére, post-doctoral researcher and lead author of the study, added: “This is a historically elusive time period, where little may be gleaned about the lives of individuals from primary literary sources. What we do know is that it was a politically and socially tumultuous time.
“In Scotland particularly, evidence is scarce and little is known about individual movement patterns and life histories. Bioarchaeological studies like this are key to providing information about personal movement in early medieval Scotland and beyond.
“It is often assumed that travel in this period would have been limited without roads like we have today and given the political divides of the time. The analysis of the burials from Cramond, along with other early medieval burial sites in Scotland, are revealing that it was not unusual to be buried far from where you had originally grown up.
“Previous studies have suggested that those buried here were of high social status, even nobility. What we can say from our new analyses was that these were well-connected individuals, with lives that brought them across the country”
“This is an important step in unravelling how these different populations of early medieval Scotland and Britain interacted.”
Despite evidence for geographical mobility, social tensions may still have been high. Several of the skeletons at Cramond indicate that some of the individuals may have met with violent ends.
Osteoarchaeologist and co-author Dr Ange Boyle from the University of Edinburgh said: “Detailed osteological analysis of the human remains has determined that a woman and young child deposited in the Roman latrine suffered violent deaths.
“Blows to the skulls inflicted by a blunt object, possibly the butt end of a spear would have been rapidly fatal. This evidence provides important confirmation that the period in question was characterised by a high level of violence.”
John Lawson, the City of Edinburgh Council archaeologist, co-author and lead archaeologist on the investigations at Cramond, says the new findings further underline the importance of the Cramond site.
“This paper has been the result of fantastic collaboration between ourselves and our co-authors from Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities. The final results from the isotopic research have confirmed the initial 2015 results giving us archaeological evidence and a window into the movement of elite society in the 6th century.
“In particular it is helping us to support our belief that Cramond during this time was one of Scotland’s key political centres during this important period of turmoil and origins for the state of Scotland.
“Whilst it has helped us answer some questions about the individuals buried in the former Roman Fort’s Bathhouse, it has also raised more. We hope to continue to work together to bring more findings to publication as these have a significant impact on what is known about the history of Scotland and Northern Britain during the Dark Ages.”
The study was funded by Edinburgh City Council and the University of Aberdeen and research by Professor Britton and Dr Czere is supported by the Leverhulme Trust and AHRC respectively.
An 80-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a six-year-old child being attacked by a dog on Cramond beach which happened around 5pm on Friday, 18 March, 2022.
Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.
Police are appealing for witnesses after a child was bitten by a dog at about 5pm last Friday (18 March 2022) at Cramond Beach.
A 6-year-old girl was walking on Cramond Beach with 3 older teenage family members when a black Pitbull dog wearing a blue and white collar knocked her over and bit her to her face, body and arms.
The girl required medical attention.
The man in charge of the dog is described as white, about 60 years old, 6 feet tall, average build, white beard, wearing a red baseball cap, a long black coat and blue jeans.
Anyone who recognises the description of this man is urged to call 101 quoting reference 2853 of 18 March 2022.
A North Edinburgh care home has shown its commitment to helping nurture Scotland’s future rugby stars by taking out a year long sponsorship with a local team.
Helping to subsidise travel costs, pitch maintenance and equipment costs, Cramond Residence’s contribution to Stewart’s Melville RFC comes at an exciting time as the club resumes regular matches following more than a year of restrictions.
The club currently has three XV squads, with the first and second XVs playing in competitive national leagues and has produced 15 international players since being founded in 1973. The first XV are geared up to play in the Tennent’s National League, Division 2 for 2021/2022.
Christian Daraio, Client Liaison Manager and Registered Nurse at the 74-bedroom home, said: “Residents, past and present, have been sport enthusiasts, players in their lifetime or have children or grandchildren involved in the game now.
“We’ve already had one of our residents attend a complimentary whisky tasting and are looking to get those that are interested down to watch a few games in the better weather and experience the game day atmosphere.
“We’re delighted to support Stewart’s Melville as they progress into an exciting 2021/22 season and are looking forward to the year ahead.”
With the biggest feeder system in the country, the club’s Mini section, the Stew Mel Lions, is one of the largest, with 340 boys and girls turning out at Inverleith every Sunday.
Simon Breeze, President of Stewart’s Melville RFC, said “We are extremely thankful to Cramond Residence for sponsoring Stewart’s Melville.Without such good quality local sponsors, amateur clubs like ourselves would struggle to survive.
“We hope this is the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Cramond Residence. One of the residents has already attended a whisky tasting at the club and we look forward to welcoming many more to enjoy the rugby and hospitality at Inverleith.”
Cramond Residence provides a combination of luxury accommodation and the highest quality of care, with all residents enjoying a wide range of amenities and activities, delicious food and bespoke care.
The home provides a range of activities specially designed to give those living with dementia a richer and more satisfying life, with specialist facilities and trained staff on hand to provide support & relief.
Scotland is being urged to bin all wipes – and ban wipes containing plastic – in a major new campaign to help protect the environment.
Scottish Water is asking the public to join forces to avoid sewer blockages, flooding, and pollution by consigning wipes to the bin.
And it is also calling on governments north and south of the border to work together to ban wipes made with plastic.
The new nationwide campaign – Nature Calls – is backed by a range of other organisations, including the Marine Conservation Society, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Zero Waste Scotland.
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Help us reduce the impact of wipes containing plastic by backing our ban.
Douglas Millican, Scottish Water Chief Executive, said: “Our message to our customers is clear: please bin the wipes and help us protect the environment.
“And to policymakers we say now is the time to ban all wipes containing plastic and rid our sewers, rivers and beaches of this needless problem. Last year, more than 10,000 tonnes of material – the equivalent of 80 blue whales – was removed from Scotland’s waste water plants.
“Many thousands of tonnes more ended up blocking sewers, causing flooding, or being flushed into rivers during storms and heavy rain. Research by the Marine Conservation Society shows that wipes are now the most common cause of beach pollution.
“Wipes are an understandable convenience item – but many contain plastic, that cause serious problems when disposed of inappropriately by flushing down the toilet – blocked sewers, homes flooded with sewage, and pollution on our beaches and rivers.
“Every year our teams deal with around 36,000 blockages at a cost to customers of £7 million annually and around 80 per cent of the blockages we attend feature wipes. Members of the public, communities, campaigners, manufacturers, retailers and governments must all work together to do the right thing for nature now and for generations to come.”
The Nature Calls campaign was launched at Cramond this morning supported by Scottish Water volunteers taking part in a beach clean.
The campaign will feature adverts on multiple channels through February and March.
Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said: “The actions we take at home can help protect Scotland’s world-renowned rivers, lochs, wetlands and seas.
“Flushing inappropriate items contributes to serious blockages in our sewers, unsightly debris in our rivers and can cause great harm to our marine environment; by being aware of this and changing our habits we can all help protect our precious, rivers seas and wildlife.
“Every year, hundreds of millions of pieces of single-use plastic are wasted in this country – they litter our coasts, pollute our oceans and contribute to the climate emergency. Scotland was the first country in the UK to ban plastic-stemmed cotton buds and we have taken action to place market restrictions on plastic microbeads.
“We are pursuing proposals to ban some of the most problematic single-use plastic items, such as straws and plastic cutlery, subject to the impact of the UK Internal Market Act 2020.
“We support the calls to ban wet wipes containing plastic and encourage the UK Government and other administrations to work with us to bring forward bans on unnecessary and environmentally harmful products.”
A wide range of organisations have voiced support for Nature Calls.
Catherine Gemmell, Scotland Conservation Officer for the Marine Conservation Society, said: “A staggering 30,000 wet wipes have been picked up by our volunteers right here on Cramond beach over the last five years. It’s not just a problem here though. At last year’s Great British Beach Clean we found an average of 25 wet wipes for every 100m of Scottish beach surveyed.
“Our toilets can still sadly be gateways to the ocean which is why incorrectly flushed items like plastic wet wipes can be found on beaches across Scotland. We need to stop plastic items, like wet wipes, getting into the sewer system and out in the ocean.
“That’s why we’re supporting the Nature Calls campaign to ban plastic wet wipes and help reduce the number of wipes mis-flushed. Show your support for wet wipe free beaches and seas by supporting the campaign too!”
Keep Scotland Beautiful Chief Executive Barry Fisher said: “I’m delighted to see Scottish Water highlighting this important issue, encouraging everyone to be more conscious of the environmental impact of plastic wipes.
“We want doing the right thing for our environment to be easy and possible for everyone – including manufacturers finding affordable alternatives to plastic free wipes. This will make sure that industry contributes to the future without wipes that clog up our waterways and oceans, harming wildlife and permanently changing our environment.
“Scotland is facing a climate and litter emergency, so action to find affordable solutions to plastic free wipes is needed to protect the future of our country. This campaign will help industry and individuals to understand that their actions can and do make a difference.”
Zero Waste Scotland Chief Executive Iain Gulland said: “It is great to see campaigns like this become more prominent in tackling the urgent problem of single-use items. At Zero Waste Scotland, we understand just how important it is to ban single-use plastic – and single-use items in general.
“We champion more sustainable ways of operating, which is why we love to see efforts, like Nature Calls from Scottish Water, grabbing attention and encouraging us all to think about our throw-away culture. Each time we choose to reuse we are one step closer to a more circular economy that will help alleviate Scotland’s contribution to the climate crisis.”
Simon Jones, Director of Environment and Visitor Services at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, said: “Our lochs and rivers are a crucial part of what makes the National Park, and Scotland, such a special place. Not only beautiful to look at and enjoy, but these water bodies are also vital wildlife habitats and keeping them as healthy as possible helps us tackle both the climate and nature crises.
“Sadly, wipes can get into these water bodies causing harm to water quality, wildlife, and their beauty. We consider them a form of pollution and therefore we are supporting the call for wipes containing plastic to be banned and urge everyone to do their bit by never flushing wipes.”
Lang Banks, Director, WWF Scotland, said: “At every step in its lifecycle, even long after it has been discarded, plastic causes harm to wildlife and contributes to the climate crisis we’re facing today.
“If we’re to stop climate change and eliminate plastic pollution from our oceans, we need to rapidly phase out unnecessary single-use plastics and that includes a ban on wipes made with plastic.”
David Field, CEO of the Royal Zoological Society Scotland, said: “At RZSS we’re inspiring and enabling our visitors and communities to do their bit to protect our planet and the wildlife we share it with. We want to make it as easy as possible to be a champion for nature.
“We’re supporting the Nature Calls campaign because one of the simplest actions we can each take is to stop putting wet wipes and plastic products down our drains and we agree that wipes containing plastic should be banned.
“Not only does flushing these items cause flooding and pollution as they block and break pipes, but they end up littering our beaches and oceans and killing wildlife.”
AN INSPIRING Edinburgh woman with a passion for baking has secured a catering position with one of the city’s finest care homes.
Rachel Murray, 21, who has Down’s syndrome – and has landed her first paid role as a Food Service Assistant at Cramond Residence, after demonstrating her hard-work and talent in a variety of volunteer roles in cafes and the former Royal Hospital for Sick Children.
Now fully settled into the job, Rachel plays an integral part in the day to day running of the care home – supporting the home’s four chefs creating bespoke dishes, doing the daily tea and coffee run, taking breakfast orders and baking sweet treats for residents.
Rachel said: “In my role I get to do so many different things like deliver breakfasts, bake cakes, help with food prep and make cheese boards and platters for the residents.
“My favourite thing is definitely baking. I love to make lemon drizzle cake, cheese scones and apple crumble.
“Since starting in June 2021, I’ve learned a lot of new skills thanks to the team who have been showing me the ropes. It’s a really friendly environment and my colleagues are great.”
Since starting, Rachel has passed her level two food hygiene, Rachel is going through her basic level dementia training and has learned a variety of kitchen skills under the watchful eye of head chef, Patsy.
Outside work, Rachel loves drama, socialising with her family and friends at the weekends and watching football. Rachel is also a first aider for a church football team – managed by her Dad, Brian Murray – and helps with physio and first aid.
The team at Cramond Residence were so impressed by Rachel’s application they created a tailored Food Services Assistant role, just for her.
Christian Daraio, Client Liaison Manager at Cramond Residence said: “Rachel is a total asset to the Cramond Residence team. Her positive attitude really brightens everyone’s day.
“I know Head Chef Patsy in particular is very appreciative of her and she’s a great help to the rest of our food service assistants too.
“Because of her past experience volunteering at Sick Kids and Broomhouse café, Rachel is versatile and can work in the kitchen or on the floors, taking orders and doing the tea and coffee runs.
“As we look to grow our staff base further for 2022, we’re hoping to give more people in a similar position the chance to progress in their career and learn some new skills.”
Speaking about Rachel’s success in landing the role at Cramond Residence, Eddie McConnell, Chief Executive of Down’s Syndrome Scotland said: “We are not at all surprised that Rachel has secured this opportunity.
“She is a great role model for our community and like so many people with Down’s syndrome, she has so much to contribute and has a great set of skills. We are delighted for her and we commend Cramond Residence for its foresight in seeing the potential of everyone who just happens to have an extra chromosome.”
Following record occupancy rates and growing demand, Cramond Residence is set to hire additional members of staff to take its team to more than 100 in response in the coming months.
The home is currently looking for applications from care assistants & registered nurses.
Located in the north of the city, Cramond Residence opened in late 2018 and offers uncompromising nurse-led care, as well as respite and dementia specialist services and offers small group living in nine luxuriously appointed homes.
Included in the home’s current offering for residents is a tailored monthly activity programme, curated by its dedicated lifestyle team, bespoke physiotherapy sessions by boutique physiotherapy experts, Balanced, as well as specialist dementia care.
AN EDINBURGH care home has recorded a strong bounce back from the last two years of lockdowns – with record occupancy numbers as it looks to expand its team for 2022.
Despite the challenges brought on the care home sector, Cramond Residence is optimistic for the year ahead with occupancy rates up 65% on this point last year.
The home is set to hire additional members of staff to take its team to more than 100, in response to the continued growing demand.
Located in Cramond, the care home was launched in late 2018 and offers uncompromising nurse-led care, as well as respite and dementia specialist services and offers small group living in nine luxuriously-appointed homes.
Throughout the pandemic it has been able to use its purpose-built layout and cutting-edge air filtration system and laundry facilities to minimise cross-infection.
Christian Daraio, Client Liaison Manager at Cramond Residence said: “After an unprecedented two years for the industry, we finally have positive momentum.
“Our clients and their families are placing their trust in us and we’re thrilled to be reaching record occupancy levels.
“The biggest obstacle we now have to us providing care for more older people is recruitment. We’re hopeful that we can cut through the current workforce crisis by offering some of the highest salaries in Edinburgh, competitive terms and conditions and a great team environment.
“Putting the wellbeing of our residents and staff has been and continues to be our main priority and as we continue on the path to normality, we are looking forward to increasing our offering over the coming months.”
The home is looking for applications from lifestyle coordinators, qualified nurses and catering assistants, with particularly high demand for nursing staff and care assistants.
Included in the home’s current offering for residents is a tailored monthly activity programme, curated by its dedicated lifestyle team, bespoke physiotherapy sessions by boutique physiotherapy experts, Balanced as well as specialist dementia care.
Throughout the duration of the pandemic, the home offered a range of virtual activities, including linking up with the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions to deliver a programme of interactive tours of some of Scottish most famous attractions, to keep residents stimulated and engaged.
Cramond Residence offers high quality care for up to 74 residents offering a small-group living concept in nine houses, with all residents enjoying an exceptional range of amenities and activities, delicious food and bespoke care from a highly-trained team.
