Tag: Renaissance Care

Edinburgh goes for gold: our Olympic athletes with years of experience!

Seated volleyball, 400m wheelchair and walking challenge, and pitch n putt: Capital’s very own version of the Olympics

With just 20 days until Tokyo 2020 finally gets underway, elderly care home residents across Scotland have launched their own Olympics with a special Tokyo-inspired opening ceremony event, following on from weeks of training.

The Renaissance Care Olympics will see 15 care homes across the country compete across five sports which have been designed to suit the abilities of the care home athletes to encourage physical and mental wellness.

Edinburgh-based Letham Park Care Home and Mathieson House Care Home kicked off their opening ceremonies within the individual homes.

The residents, dressed in their own team shirts, were given a taste of Tokyo with Japanese taster plates, chop stick trials, music and discussions on the Japanese culture. Mathieson House also recreated the famous Olympic flame, using colourful tissue paper and streamers.

The athletes have been in training over the month of June, getting ready to compete in each of the sports throughout July before a closing ceremony to celebrate their achievements at the end of the month.

For the gold medal, the residents will be competing to see who can walk or wheelchair the most 400m stints throughout July, how many hits of a balloon they can get to keep it off the ground for seated volleyball, and how many punches they can land on the boxing pads.

They will also compete in Pitch n Putt, with nine holes set up around the homes, and a one off shot putt event where the resident who can throw the bean bag furthest will take the medal.

Ann Marie Byrne, Activity Co-ordinator at Renaissance Care’s Mathieson House Care Home, said: “Encouraging physical activity for our residents is extremely important and we really wanted to create something fun that would get everyone involved.

“The residents across each of the homes have been enjoying the training and we have already seen a great lift in spirits as they get in touch with their competitive side.

“During lockdown, we have been as creative as possible to come up with new ideas to ensure that the residents always have new experiences and the Olympics felt like the perfect way to bring everyone together.

“The relatives have been routing for their loved ones and we have been sharing their progress along the way, so it has been a lovely way to keep everyone connected.”

Surprise award for Renaissance Care exec

Robert Kilgour has been recognised at a prestigious evening awards ceremony celebrating the best of the independent care home sector in Scotland.

88% of all care home support in Scotland is delivered by the independent sector, with these services caring for over 33,000 older individuals and employing nearly 46,000 people.

Robert Kilgour, the Executive Chairman of Renaissance Care has won the Special Recognition category at the Scottish Care Awards 2019.

This surprise award recognises an individual who has made a sustained contribution to the care home sector over many years, driving positive change in both care services and more widely across Scotland.

Robert received his unexpected award, which was sponsored by Quality Compliance Systems. at an Awards Ceremony on 15 November at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow. The Awards Ceremony were hosted by Michelle McManus, with nearly 700 people attending.

Rob Harper, Non-Executive Director of Renaissance Care, who put Robert forward for the award, said: “Robert’s involvement within the cares sector has spanned 30 years since founding Four Seasons Health Care in Scotland some 30 years ago, to the present-day organisation of Renaissance Care, which is recognised as a high-quality family business in Scotland.

“During this period, he has continued to develop services for older people and championed the need for high quality care at a reasonable cost.”

“Robert is a regular contributor to independent panels and newspaper articles. Whilst followed by journalists in view of his ability to summarise issues and opportunities within the care sector, he has used this to highlight and further the excellent work undertaken by the independent care sector.

“He has always displayed a positive approach to service provision in the care sector and has been well respected by all stakeholders.”

The care awards followed a full day conference for the care home sector with speakers including Professor George Crooks, CEO of the Digital Health and Care Institute and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Ms Jeane Freeman MSP.

The Scottish Care National Care Home Conference & Exhibition, which is now in its 20th year and was sponsored by the Clydesdale & Yorkshire Bank, has incorporated an awards ceremony for the last 15 years.

The conference focus this year was on the essential role of care homes in supporting individuals within a demographic reality of an ageing population and more complex care needs.

It also highlighted their importance within communities and the criticality of care homes in delivering positive outcomes and relieving pressure on other health and care services including hospitals. The conference explored topics as diverse as the role of technology, design approaches to future care, LGBTI recognition, intergenerational support, dentistry and workforce.

The conference, exhibition and care awards are the largest of their kind for the care home sector in Scotland.

For more information visitwww.scottishcare.org