Tag: Strachan House

Resident Proves She Is On Pointe At Swan Lake 

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.

Strachan House residents paint their Gratitude to an iconic artist

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.

Mum’s The Word at Strachan House!

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.”

Local care home goes green on St Patrick’s Day

Residents and staff at Strachan House in Edinburgh celebrated all things Irish for St Patrick’s Day last week.

The home was decorated with colourful green white and orange designs and Irish music rang out from all the corridors.

Mandy, Head of Activities, said: “We love a party at Strachan House and St Patricks Day is always a popular celebration to open our doors and welcome everyone in from the community to join in with our residents and staff”.

Held on March 17th, Saint Patrick’s Day actually observes the death of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, but the day has come to be a huge celebration of Irish heritage and culture.

Staff and residents at the home marked the day by learning about the history as well as many green themed antics. From making shamrock decorations, learning some Irish words and phrases, themed menu and landing a good old knees up party.

Mr and Mrs Barrie who reside at Strachan House, have been together for 70 years and demonstrated you’re never too old to have a good time. Mrs Barrie said “it was lovely to spend an evening with my husband, although I think he preferred the Guinness he was holding in his hand rather than me in the other” 

General Manager, Gordon Philp said: “Our residents have all had a brilliant day today, everyone has enjoyed the festivities – I think we all agree St Patrick’s Day is the best of all the saints’ days!  We had a fantastic time at our Irish party and sampling a few Guinnesses!”

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.

Local care home ladies glam it up for International Women’s Day

Residents at Strachan House in Blackhall marked International Women’s Day yesterday by spending the day celebrating the achievements of wonderful trail-blazing women throughout history.

This special day takes place on March 8th every year to celebrate women’s rights and inspire people to fight for gender equality.  A United Nations-sanctioned global holiday, it celebrates women’s contributions to society, raises awareness about the fight for gender parity and inspires support for organisations that support women globally.

Residents afterwards enjoyed complete pamper sessions and makeover to inspire others that you’re never too old to look your best. The afternoon saw many of the home’s women get together over an afternoon tea specially put on to mark the day and their life achievements.

Gordon Philp General Manager at Strachan House said: “We’ve all had a really interesting day thinking about the very many brilliant women who have had such an impact on our lives, whether that was an historic figure or people in our own family. 

“It was good to share our experiences, take stock and reflect on how much society has changed over the years.”