LOCAL CARE HOME RESIDENTS CELEBRATE WATCHING THEIR FAVOURITE SPORTING FIXTURE
Residents and staff at Queens Manor care home in Blackhall were at the ready for the start of Wimbledon finals on Saturday and Sunday, with delicious strawberries and cream, all washed down with a glass of Pimms or fizz!
Tennis fans at Queens Manor were delighted to be able to watch this year’s 136th Championships. Residents and staff got together to watch the matches and celebrated by having a themed day of events, with the Lifestyle Team whipping up traditional Wimbledon-inspired strawberry and cream treats.
Donna Wood, General Manager at the home, said: “We’ve had a fantastic time celebrating the return of Wimbledon this weekend, it is always a firm favourite with our residents.
“Every game was on show throughout the home and we enjoyed every minute!”
Resident Audrey Rankin, commented: “I absolutely love watching Wimbledon, it is definitely my favourite sporting fixture.
“It was lovely to celebrate its return with all my friends here and to enjoy all the delicious party drinks during the finals!”
Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.
Queens Manor is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. Queens Manor provides residential care, respite care & dementia care.
Staff, residents, relatives and the local community came together at Strachan House to enjoy a Summer Fete that was held in the home’s grounds on Saturday (15th July).
Strachan House hosted a variety of activities throughout the day, including a BBQ prepared by the talented chefs, live entertainment, face painting and balloon artist which were enjoyed by everyone who came to the event.
The local community police officer even came along to enjoy the afternoon, whilst the children got to enjoy sitting in his car.
Staff at Strachan House made everyone feel welcome and were delighted to see different generations having fun together. Visitors enjoyed a summer BBQ, prepared by the catering team, who were hard at work making sure that a great time was had by all – it really was a team effort!
Resident, Betty Munro said, “I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was surrounded by lots of great people, and the refreshments kept flowing.
“The weather wasn’t on our side but we had a fabulous regardless. Staff did a great job, not just on the day, but organising the event and getting everyone together.”
Gordon Philp General Manager at the home, said: “Staff at Strachan House are dedicated to making sure that the home is a hub of the local community, and this event, along with all their hard work, has definitely paid off. It was a resounding success!”
Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 beds residents from respite care to long term stays.
Alex Laird, a resident at Strachan House, can always be heard telling his stories of his days in the military, so staff at the home made those memories come back to life with a trip to Edinburgh Castle.
Alex has lived at Strachan House for a short time. Staff and residents love his stories of his days gone by serving in the Army. Alex started his military career in 1944 when he joined the Royal Scots Regiment. Shortly after in 1945 he got to volunteer serving with the Indian army in the 15th Punjab Regiment and is often heard telling others about his wonderful adventures as well as his cheeky antics he got up to.
One story that he shares is of when the war ended: “I was protecting the Bay of Bengal when we heard news the war had ended. With no TV, radio or newspapers I learnt over our comms system that the Germans had surrender some 24 hours beforehand.
“I remember looking at my watch it said 7am and thinking: that’s it, the wars over and at least for my friends their fight has ended. That same evening as darkness fell upon us I have vivid memories of me and my comrades singing in celebration, only to wake up the next morning to the sound of shelling as we continued our mission to protect the bay.”
Staff at the home saw how Alex was passionate of all things military and how proud he was to of served in the war, so staff wanted to ensure his heroic past was recognised .
The Royal Scots Museum houses an array of paintings, artefacts and medals from the formation of the regiment to its present day. So for Alex it was a real walk down the castle cobbled memory lane as he immersed himself in all the history that surrounded him with his visit to the castle.
In response to this wonderful surprise Alex said: “It was so touching to know my efforts during the war were appreciated. It is such an amazing feeling to know that staff recognised what was so important to me and cared enough to spring this surprise on me.
“What an incredible afternoon I had. It truly meant a lot to me.“
Gordon Philp, General Manager at the home, said: “We want everyone we care for to know how important they are to us here at Strachan House
“It was so nice to see how happy Alex was – and to be able to say thank you for everything he done for his country all those years ago.”
Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.
Four-legged friends provide companionship to elderly residents
AN Edinburgh home specialising in dementia care has launched a pet therapy programme to combat loneliness and improve general wellbeing.
A group of three different therapets and their handlers have been visiting Cramond Residence each on a monthly basis to provide companionship and encourage residents to be more active throughout the day.
Elaine Vallance, Lead Lifestyle Coordinator at Cramond Residence, said: “Our residents thoroughly enjoy therapets’ visits and we always know when they are in the building as residents all have a big smile on their faces.
“They all offer a calming presence when in the building, their visits always leave everyone in high spirits, excited for the next visit – the simple act of stroking a four-legged friend can slow down the heartbeat and reduce blood pressure.
“Pet therapy can provide a calming effect and help alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation.
“Our visiting therapets are among the 500 registered therapets around Scotland, currently providing emotional support to elderly residents who cannot maintain the upkeep of a pet full-time.”
According to Alzheimer’s Society, caring for an animal can provide a sense of purpose and be a helpful stress relief source to individuals with dementia who may be struggling with depression.
The home understands the importance of interacting with animals and the benefits this has on emotional, physical and social wellbeing.
The furry friends visiting the home have proved major hits alongside the varied activities programme at Cramond Residence which includes day trips, gardening and arts and crafts, all designed to keep residents stimulated and engaged.
Launched in 2018, Cramond Residence offers uncompromising nurse-led care, as well as specialist services such as respite and dementia care. The care home currently has 74 residents spread across nine luxuriously-appointed homes.
Residential life is full of activities, freshly prepared meals and top-class facilities, ensuring that all residents enjoy a rich and satisfying life at the care home. The facilities provided include a cinema, functional exercise room, a games room and also a fine dining experience offering residents the opportunity to invite their family members in for a meal.
Each resident also receives a personal care plan from health care professionals which is continually assessed and revised, ensuring that residents have access to the best possible level of care.
Cramond Residence offers tours of their quality accommodation and facilities in the north of Edinburgh. The tour allows potential residents and their loved ones to see the residence for themselves, meet the team and discuss any additional requirements.
Weekly book club ignites imagination and creativity among elderly residents
BOOK-LOVING pensioners at an Edinburgh care home are keeping their minds young and agile with the latest social activity introduction.
The new weekly club at Cramond Residence gives the home’s book worms the chance to engage in open conversation about a host of genres – some of which cover stories from their childhoods and gripping new novels that exercise the brain.
Elaine Vallance, newly promoted Lifestyle Team Leader, said: “Not only does reading help increase our residents’ cognitive skills, but it can also reduce stress and help improve sleep.
“It’s a fantastic form of entertainment and a great exercise for stimulating the brain, which can be particularly beneficial for our residents with dementia.
“Our weekly book club encourages independent reading, as well as the articulation of thoughts and sharing of opinions with a group of similarly minded people.
“The club is a great way of encouraging our residents to stay social and we have experienced that even some of our less talkative residents have been willing to engage in a common topic of conversation.
“We take the time to read to those residents who can’t do so and you can tell by the big smiles on their faces how much they appreciate the simple art of storytelling.”
Cramond’s book club takes place in the home’s luxurious and comfortable lounge facilities, offering views of the expansive gardens year-round.
In addition to the weekly clubs, Cramond Residence has a private library that is well-stocked with books of different genres that residents are free to borrow and return at their leisure.
Client Liaison Manager, Christian Daraio, said: “Cramond has the unique advantage of having five-star facilities that aren’t usually synonymous with a care home.
“Our residents love making use of the library and our weekly book clubs have proved to be very popular.
“We even have plans to invite authors along to the club in the near future to engage in conversations with the residents. We aim to make the club highly educational and a great knowledge builder.
“The mental and physical benefits you can experience from reading last a lifetime and can keep an elderly brain active and engaged, possibly even delaying the onset of dementia through the strengthening of memory retention.
“Not only that, but these group activities that we pride ourselves on here at Cramond are an excellent tool in fighting loneliness and social isolation.”
Cramond Residence offers a vast array of activities to its residents on a daily basis, with the weekly book clubs being one of the latest additions to the home’s bustling monthly rota.
Residential life at the care home is full of unique activities, as well as freshly prepared meals and top-class facilities, ensuring that all residents enjoy a rich and satisfying life at the care home.
The facilities provided include a cinema, a functional exercise room, a games room and also a fine dining experience offering residents the opportunity to invite their family members in for a meal.
Audrey Ross move to Strachan House just over a year ago. Being a primary school teacher in Aberdeen for many years she loved nothing more than meeting up with her girlfriends on a Friday night for a good catch up in her younger days.
She often talks about her nights just sitting, sharing her laughs of the weeks gone by with her friends and reminiscing over their life adventures together. It was clear that she held very fond memories of her younger days and missed those days so much. Through reminscence and one to one sessions she could be often heard explaining about “how friendships are important and must be nurtured and never taken for granted or forgotten “.
So with a combination of what was important to Audrey and of course her love of curries the team jumped into action and recreated a special moment for her with their Gone Fishing 23 project.
Audrey was joined by another resident that she really enjoys spending time with in the home and the surprise on both their faces when Audrey realised she was in for the night of her life.
The team did some community engagement with a local business in Blackhall called The Cove.
Local Indian restauranteur Jahedd upon hearing her story was quick to jump on board and support the team in making Audrey enjoy a stroll back down memory lane. Jahedd was able to give Audrey and her friend an evening to remember by offering them the VIP experience in his beautiful establishment.
Audrey and her friend Isobel were whisked away to The Cove where they enjoyed a fine selection of Indian cuisine along with an evening fondly sharing their life stories and adventures together.
Mandy Head of Activities said: “It was an amazing night for Audrey. She was in disbelief of what we had organised not to mention surprised. Our Gone Fishing 23 project is partly about the element of surprise but more importantly it’s about recognising our residents as individuals, along with their desires and more importantly recognising what’s important to them. ”
“The local community support has been amazing and it is humbling to see how much attention our project has received. We can’t thank The Cove enough for the amazing night they gave Audrey and her friend.”
In response to this wonderful surprise, Audrey said: “I was astounded. It was so amazing to see how others picked up on what was important to me and for them to go out of their way to make me feel so special.
“It truly was like a good old Friday night just as I remember them and they even got my favourite cuisine right. Ten out of ten!”
Gordon Philp, General Manager at the home, said: “We want everyone we care for to know how important they are to us here at Strachan House It was so nice to see how happy Audrey was – our staff love making moments like this happen in our project”
Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.
Staff and residents at Barchester’s Strachan House care home in Blackhall celebrated Easter with a whole host of different activities including an Easter Egg Hunt, hatching duck eggs, afternoon Easter tea for the residents and local community and Easter baking sessions.
Good Friday saw residents at Strachan House enjoy an eggs-tensive range of Easter activities, from an Easter Bonnet parade, egg painting and rolling, to enjoying live entertainment.
Easter Sunday saw residents also tuck in to a delicious tradional Easter lunch prepared by the home’s head chef Paul Gow after hosting a wonderful Easter egg hunt in the beautiful gardens of Strachan House. And if there was any more room from all that chocolate then there was an afternoon tea to relax with amongst family and friends!
General Manager Gordon Philp said “As always, we’ve all been looking forward to Easter. It’s such a lovely time of year – the residents love all the colourful Easter eggs and huge selection of Easter themed activities we had on offer.
“It’s really been an eggs-cellent few days!”
Muriel who is 102 years old and a resident at Strachan House said: “It has been so lovely to spend time with our families and friends this Easter, though like every Easter, I think I’ve eaten too much chocolate!
” It was so wonderful to see everyone go to so much effort. I have really enjoyed having the ducks hatch and spending time playing with them”
Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.
Strachan House is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides nursing care, residential care, respite care.
Resident, Sandy Alexander a 95 year old lady at Strachan House had always wanted to return to watch the ballet so staff at the home made her wish a reality.
Sandy was an accomplished ballet dancer in her younger years and fondly talks of her younger dancing days mainly in Rugby, Warwickshire.
Sandy Alexander has lived at Strachan House for a number of years and is beloved by staff and residents alike. Staff at the home were delighted to be a part of making her dream come true, as they knew how much it meant to her, and they all wanted to be there to see the smile on Sandy’s face as she was surprised with a trip to watch Swan Lake performed by the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh.
Staff first found out about Sandys dream as she had always spoke about her time as a ballet dancer. She takes part in many exercise classes at the home and it was clear how much she loved being a dancer with her moves and chat about how she was On Pointe.
Ever since learning about Sandy’s passion they have been dedicated to helping her achieve it her dream of returning to the ballet. Sandywas also accompanied by staff, who were there in support of this momentous occasion.
In response to this wonderful surprise, Sandy said: “It was amazing and I never thought I’d ever see the ballet again. The powerful music and dancers just filled me with memories that came flooding back of my time preforming. It truly was an amazing surprise and one I won’t forget”
Gordon Philp, General Manager at the home, said: “We want everyone we care for to know how important they are to us here at Strachan House. It was so nice to see how happy Sandy was – and the staff loved being a part of this as well.”
Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.
Staff and residents at Barchester’s Strachan House care home in Blackhall got creative celebrating the birthday of one of the greatest post-impressionist artists of all time, Vincent Van Gogh, on 30 March.
Van Gogh was born in 1853 Groot-Zundert in the Netherlands and he created some of the most famous paintings in the world.
A prolific artist, Van Gogh’s work was notable for its beauty, emotion and colour. His paintings have been hugely influential since his death, however during his lifetime Van Gogh struggled with poor mental health, he was virtually unknown and remained poor. He completed more than 2,100 works consisting of 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolours, drawings and sketches.
Staff and residents spent the afternoon learning about Van Gogh’s life and his distinct style of painting, then tried their hand at recreating his famous sunflowers in a vase painting. Strachan House thought this was an important piece as Van Gogh himself called the piece “GRATITUDE”
Jimmy a resident at the local care home said “what an amazing day learning some facts I never knew about the artist. The art session in the afternoon was a time for me to be able to be expressive through attempting to recreate the famous sunflower picture”
General Manager, Gordon Philp said: “We have had a fascinating day finding out all about Van Gogh, he was such a talent and created some absolutely beautiful paintings.
“Many of our residents love to paint and they really enjoyed discussing their favourites amongst his works and trying to recreate his techniques.”
Marion Cooper, a resident, said: “We have had such a lovely day recreating one of his works. You don’t know how relaxing it is and I never thought I was much of an artist until today”
Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.
Strachan House is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides nursing care, residential care, respite care.
Residents at Barchester Healthcare’s Strachan House care home in Blackhall celebrated Mother’s Day with visits and video calls from family members near and far. The home was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers and bunting for the occasion.
Staff at Strachan House arranged a wonderful afternoon tea for all their all their resident mums. Head chef, Paul Dow freshly prepared sandwiches and his signature much loved scones with Cornish clotted cream to mark the day.
Muriel Sinclair (102) celebrates Mother’s Day
General Manager, Gordon Philp said: “We’ve all had a really lovely day. It has been so good to see family members who were able to visit in person and to have video calls with those who are further away.
“Our residents enjoyed a fantastic afternoon tea prepared by our brilliant chefs. Days like these are so special.”
