Older people in Perth and Kinross have shown their Olympic spirit by taking part in a care home challenge event to highlight the importance of physical activity.

Hollywood actor Brian Cox and Deputy First Minister John Swinney are among those who sent their good wishes to residents from care homes and day centres across the region taking part in the ninth annual Go4Gold event in Perth and Kinross.

Around 400 residents from 30 care settings have been trying their hand at various games and challenges throughout the past week.

The event has previously taken place at Bells Sports Centre in Perth but this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, each care setting have run their own in-house Go4Gold event. This has meant that a larger number of residents could participate and experience the fun and excitement of Go4Gold.

The participants took part in various physical challenges including a golf putting challenges, skittles picking up objects of nature and a goal scoring target.

Each care setting also enjoyed a video introduction to their events welcoming them and getting them into the spirit with a warm up activity and an Olympic coverage style studio chat.

In the weeks before the event, staff and residents from each care home also created posters reflecting this year’s Go4Gold theme of ‘Walking with Nature’.

An award ceremony was held virtually on Tuesday, 31 August where all the participants were presented with certificates and medals for the teams. Winning teams also received a trophy. The virtual ceremony also included filmed messages from actor Brian Cox and Deputy First Minister John Swinney.

Go4Gold was organised by the Perth & Kinross Care Home Activity Network (CHAN), in partnership with Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership, Scottish Care, Live Active Leisure, Paths for All, the third sector and local care homes.

The event aims to increase physical activity levels for all care home residents in a fun and meaningful way.

Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership Falls Service Manager Carolyn Wilson said, “The past 18 months have been particularly challenging for all of our care homes. The usual annual care home games challenge Go4Gold held at Bells Sports Centre was impossible but we wanted to still recreate Go4Gold, particularly with the 2020 Olympics running this summer.

“It’s fantastic to see so many homes participating and the residents really entering into the competitive spirit with enthusiasm and excitement. Go4Gold demonstrates that everyone can exercise in some way and offers a lasting legacy promoting physical activity. It goes to prove that even the frailest in our society can come together, participate in physical activity and above all have fun.”

Gordon Paterson, Chief Officer of the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership, said, “Given the difficulties and challenges our care homes have had to overcome, delivering the competition this year was really important to us.

“It’s been fantastic to see everything they have been getting up to and the energy with which they have approached the competition. While it has been a challenge to bring it all together in a safe and appropriate manner, the enthusiastic and positive response we have seen really goes to show that with the right support in place, we can empower people of any age to stay healthy, active and involved in maintaining their quality of life.”

“It’s great that so many of our Care Homes and Residents are taking part this year, especially given the prolonged period of uncertainty and unprecedented challenges that out Homes have faced across the last 16 months due to COVID-19. Care home staff have been fantastic in stepping up an enabling so many people to take part in the activities and it really is a testament to their compassion and dedication that we have been able to involve nearly 400 residents from all across Perth and Kinross in this year’s competition.”

Green-fingered pensioners at an Edinburgh care home are being treated to a summer full of activities designed to get them interacting with nature.

As an antidote to the cold weather and darkness of lockdown, the city’s finest care home, ’s Head of Maintenance, Billy Early, built new accessible planters, alongside a programme of events.

Sessions are planned for residents to plant bulbs, and create signage and labels for the garden which residents can enjoy during their independent and supported walks around the grounds.

The Lifestyle Team makes use of plants from the verdant gardens where possible, which are maintained all year round. During the pandemic, restrictions have at times limited the ability for residents to fully enjoy the outdoor space.

Christian Daraio, one of the dedicated team at the 74-room modern care home in Edinburgh, said: “There is a real sense of optimism growing here as lockdown continues to ease and it is perfect timing to focus more on our lovely gardens and expand our horizons again.

“We have many green thumbed gardening enthusiasts at Cramond Residence. Thanks to our new easily accessible planters, all residents with a keen interest in gardening have been able to get involved.

“The home has also been able to welcome family and friends back into the grounds so I’m sure our residents will take great pride in being able to help add a touch of colour to the home too.

“Gardening is a hugely beneficial way to keep our elderly residents mobile and active whilst doing something they enjoy in the fresh air.”

The care home is made up of nine small bubble group living facilities with up to eight bedrooms, a private lounge, dining and snug facilities. When necessary, residents can be cared for in small groups using the self-contained facilities.

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 our highly-trained team.

27 Meallmore teams from across Scotland came together to compete in the Meallmore Olympics 2021.

The games were opened to three categories of teams within the Meallmore Group. These were:

• Staff teams
• Residents from specialist homes
• Residents from care of the elderly homes.

The teams had to design and decorate their own flags, create and sing their own personal national anthem for their team, decide on a resident captain and agree on a suitable team name.

All the teams then participated in four Olympic events over four days. These events consisted of:

• Come fly with me – paper aeroplane design and flying competition.
• Basketball challenge – throwing ping pong balls into a basket, the person with the most balls into the basket in the shortest time was the winner.
• Laundry triathlon  – folding clothes, the person who folded a cross section of clothes in the shortest period of time was the winner
• Synchronised hoovering

The event concluded on Sunday with a celebration and special meal in all of the care homes. Winners were also awarded for all the categories above.

The team winning the most categories and thus attaining the most points was awarded Meallmore Champions 2021.

This year the Meallmore Care of the Elderly Olympic Champions are Belleaire House in Greenock and the Meallmore Specialist Care Home Olympic Champions are Daviot Care Home in the Highlands (the Drumboe Unit).

Please find the links below to the Meallmore Olympics 2021 opening and closing ceremony:

Meallmore Olympics 2021 – Opening Ceremony

Meallmore Olympics 2021 – Closing Ceremony 

This is the second year running that Meallmore has run this event within all their homes. On both occasion this has been a huge success for all of the residents and staff.

Huge thanks to Meallmore for sharing this story, looks like a lot of fun!

Residents at a care home in Melrose enjoyed the sunshine with their loved ones with an old fashioned picnic weekend.  

The 1940s and 50s inspired picnic was organised by staff members at  St John’s care home who wanted to go the extra mile to ensure its residents were making the most of the long summer days. 

 Staff members invited residents’ family and friends for an afternoon of food, drinks and live entertainment. 

Alison Grant, 54, Care Home Manager at St John’s, said: 

“The weather has been beautiful so we decided to organise a traditional picnic with gingham table cloths, as well as all the scones and small sandwiches that they would’ve had in those days. 

 “Along with their tasty sandwiches our residents and visitors enjoyed strawberries and cream, champagne, wine and drinks. 

 “Everyone really enjoyed themselves. We even had an entertainer who performed all the old classics from the era, recreating the feeling of that time.”  

Each year Mansfield Care organises a garden party for each of the care homes, but due to lockdown restrictions, invitations could not be distributed as far and wide as usual. 

Despite a number of challenges, staff at St John’s took the initiative to organise the perfect summer picnic for its residents and family members.  

Alison added: “Usually we send out invitations to the Care Inspectorate, social workers and local residents of our community who are often around in the homes, but due to the restrictions it had to be a bit smaller this year, so we decided to have a picnic day instead.  

“We just wanted to do something special this summer for our residents, and their family and friends.” 

Alison joined St John’s as a care manager in April this year, bringing her vision and fresh ideas to the care home, supporting both residents and their family members.  

Audrey Graham, a resident at St John’s, said: “It was just a marvellous day.”  

Operating 11 care homes across Edinburgh Borders and west of Scotland, Mansfield care is designed to provide bespoke care to an exceptional standard with state-of-the-art facilities.  

Specialising in unique small, friendly residential / nursing care homes, staff work under an ethos that is inspired by the kind of care we would wish for ourselves in later life – supportive, friendly, bright, positive, empathetic, respectful and homely.  

The highly trained staff ensure a commitment and continuity of care to each resident with a dedicated home manager and wellbeing coordinator to plan activities according to resident’s wishes.