Care home royally treats residents with Jubilee celebrations

Residents at Edinburgh home welcome bumper weekend of celebrations

An Edinburgh care home is celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in style with a jam-packed events calendar – including a visit from a local DJ and themed cocktails.

To mark the occasion, residents at will be treated to a themed party with family, friends and members of the community invited to a grand garden celebration.

The event will see a DJ and singer take to the stage throughout the afternoon, with an abundance of food and drink stalls, themed cocktails, home-baked delicacies and weather permitting, a garden picnic.

In the lead up to the main event, residents have been making Union Jack hand held flags and will enjoy a Jubilee themed quiz coordinated by the home’s dedicated Lifestyle Coordinators. Residents will also be invited to help decorate the home with banners and bunting ahead of the event.

Client Liaison Manager and registered nurse at the 74-bedroom home, Christian Daraio, said: “The majority of our residents can remember exactly where they were when the Queen was coronated 70 years ago in 1953.

“It’ll be a special memory for not just out residents but staff and the wider community which is why we wanted to mark it properly – what better way to raise a toast to the Queen than with a party?

“We strive to make sure that our calendar of activities provides something for everyone, giving our residents endless possibilities to enjoy all the things they want to do on their own terms.”

The celebrations will coincide the launch of Cramond Residence’s Garden room – an area that will allow residents to spend time in the fresh air and surrounding nature whilst also socialising with others.

Christian added: “The garden room will be a great addition to the home’s existing high-end facilities and can be enjoyed by our residents for the first time as part of the celebrations this weekend. Fingers crossed the sun will be shining!”

A tombola and raffle will also take place on the day to raise funds for CHAS and Downs Syndrome Scotland.

Alison Newton, Operations Manager at Cramond Residence, said: “The Jubilee party will consist of a number of family-friendly activities, including face painting, a ‘pin the jewel on the crown’ and even a DJ. On arrival, kids will also receive a Jubilee goody bag.

“We have staff volunteering to come in and help on the day – even though they should be on their days-off – which we’re really grateful for!

“It’s shaping up to be a really great event and we’re delighted to be able to welcome family members and the local community back into the home after socialising was limited for the last two years”.

Established in 2018 at a cost of £8m and spread across three floors, Cramond Residence provides a range of activities specially designed to give residents a richer and more satisfying life, with specialist facilities and trained staff on hand to provide support & relief.

Asides from its tailored activity programme, the home also provides bespoke physiotherapy sessions with boutique experts, as well as specialist dementia care which is delivered in an environment thatcombines luxury hotel living with the reassuring feeling of being in your own home.

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.

Hawkhill House in Aberdeen celebrated Nurses Week 2022 (6 May – 12 May) in style with staff and residents taking part in many activities! Nurses have gone through a lot of challenges and difficulties in the past couple of years and the staff and residents at Hawkhill House wanted to make them feel special and appreciated on their special week.

As part of their celebrations, they held a festive lunch for all the nurses, residents hand-made Thank You cards, and together they played a game of bingo and online puzzles with the chance to win prizes.  At the end of the event, everyone received a special gift,  this was Hawkhill’s simple way to say thank you and show their gratitude to all their nurses for their continuous hard work and dedication.

Have a look at the pictures below to see everyone having fun and celebrating!

Last year Lochside Academy pupils designed and created a personalised Xmas card for each resident in 5 of our Care Homes – this was over 200 cards! We ran this as a competition too and used the winning design as our team e-card sent to providers, partners and colleagues.  Scottish Care also provided a £15 Amazon voucher as a prize to the winner.

This was covered in local media:

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/local/aberdeen-school-spreading-cheer-to-care-home-residents-with-christmas-card-delivery/amp/

This year, for Christmas 2021, we have 7 Care Homes and 2 schools (one secondary and one primary) involved:

• Laurels Lodge
• Maryfield West
• Cowdray Club
• Torry Care Home
• Tor na Dee
• Hawkhill House
• Eastleigh Nursing Home
• Lochside Academy (teacher contact:   Corinne Millar)
• Stoneywood Primary (teacher contact:  Megan Jewers)

325 Christmas cards were designed and created by the pupils and the contact teachers delivered them to the Care Homes 20-22 Dec.  Our winners this year:  £15 Amazon voucher to the winner of the senior school, Mija, S4 Lochside Academy and a £10 book voucher to our Stoneywood Primary winner, Amber, P6/7.

Megan Jewers, Lochside, was delighted to take part again this year saying “I had a lot more teachers keen to get involved this year than I did last year.”  

We look forward to seeing how this initiative grows in the coming years.

Billy, a resident from Abbey Court, loves the rock band – Status Quo – and was surprised by staff with the gift of their limited edition band merchandise. Brian Murray, the Manager at Abbey Court Care Home, has contacts with someone who knows the band’s manager. Together, they arranged a surprise for Billy to receive a t-shirt, a cd and a signed book.  He was delighted and staff say that he doesn’t want to take his t-shirt off! You can see Billy’s surprise in the video below.

104-year-old Percy, alongside best friend and care nurse, Laura Hagan, have continued their annual tradition of dressing up as famous twosomes for Halloween.

The pair became very close during Percy’s time at Whitecraigs Care Home in Thornliebank and put up some fierce competition as they took on the home’s costume competition together for the fourth year running.

They have continued to wow fellow residents at the Renaissance Care home, as they illustrated the meaning of ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ last year as Toy Story’s trademark Woody and Buzz-Lightyear. The year before, they dressed as Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, while they debuted their duo as Mary Poppins and Bert the Chimney-Sweep in 2018.

Every year Percy and Laura put their heads together to come up with a new idea for Halloween costumes which they can do together, managing to keep the final decision a secret from fellow residents and staff members until the big reveal at the annual Halloween party.

This year, they showed a preference to treats over tricks as they donned a matching costume from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Centenarian Percy was the enigmatic Willy Wonka himself, complete with his walking stick as a candy cane, while Laura dressed as an iconic Oompa Loompa.

Laura, Clinical Lead Nurse at Whitecraigs Care Home, said: “Each year, Percy and I keep our famous double act under wraps and aim for costumes to be bigger and better than the last. However, due to the size of our chocolate factory props, it was difficult to keep it a secret this year, but it was still a pleasure seeing the other residents smile and laugh, it’s worth all the effort.”

Percy’s daughter, Doreen, said: “I love that Whitecraigs Care Home have all these events and they all get to participate. Special thanks to Laura who has, for the last four years, dressed up with my dad Percy as a team. It’s great for us as a family to see our Dad enjoying himself and proving that at 104 you can still have fun and we see him enjoying himself.”

Percy, who went viral in 2020 for his TikTok dances, found his friendship with Laura to be the golden ticket to enjoying his retirement at Whitecraigs Care Home.

Pictured: Percy and Laura dressed up as Willy Wonka and an Oompa Loompa

Pictured: Percy with his daughter Doreen

Pitlochry care home gets into the Autumn spirit with its own Tattie Bogle and a visit from yarn bombers

Pitlochry Yarn Bombers, a secret group that brings knitted joy to the Perthshire town, has left its distinctive mark on a local care home.

Residents of Balhousie Pitlochry care home woke up to some colourful Autumnal decorations this week, from knitted pumpkins and leaves to a cute hedgehog, on and around its planters and entranceway.

The care home, which prides itself on its community activity, has been a favourite stop-off as part of Pitlochry’s recent Tattie Bogle Festival this year, which saw local children spotting scarecrows around the town during the ‘tattie’ holidays.

Keen to be part of the excitement, staff at Balhousie Pitlochry created a scarecrow called Stan Balhousie which was the last stop-off on the trail. The care home, located on Burnside Road beside the Community Hospital, placed Stan in a hoist in the garden.

Judith Dingwall of Tattie Bogle Festival organisers Pitlochry and Moulin Support Group said the event was inspired by the COP26 climate conference. “Scarecrows were never made out of new things and therefore businesses and locals could reuse packaging and products to make a fun figure,” she said.

Balhousie Pitlochry Activities Coordinator Eilidh Thomson said: “Stan Balhousie has been a great hit with staff, residents, visitors, delivery folks and even people on the buses point and smile at him as they go by!”

Now that Stan has been joined by a colourful array of knitted items, the home is embracing the Autumn season. Shona Hutchcox, Home Administrator at Balhousie Pitlochry, who led the Tattie Bogle effort, said: “We love the added colour the yarn bombers have given us and it fits in so well with Stan Balhousie.”

Care home residents across the country are swapping retiral for recruitment as they seek out new staff to join them in their home. Renaissance Care’s elderly occupants are ready to search high and low, looking for more caring individuals to add to the close-knit team.

The residents, within each of Renaissance Care’s 16 care homes across Scotland, are getting involved in the advertising of positions, interviewing of applicants and final selection process to expand their teams.

Judging the applicants on their skills and experience, the residents are additionally looking for the softer side of the interviewees, ensuring they would be a good fit for their home. A good sense of humour, patience and friendly faces are top of the list for the residents who form close bonds with the care staff working within the home.

The family-owned care group is currently recruiting nationally for carers, nurses, admin workers and a number of other roles within the business. With a wholly person-centred approach to care, staff are offered ongoing training and development opportunities for career progression, alongside strong support from the management team, in order to guarantee residents the best care possible.

Residents Mary Wilson (86), June Langridge (87) and Rita Bryson (84) teamed up with their home manager, hoping to find more staff to join the family at Renaissance Care’s Jesmond Care Home in Aberdeen.

Mary Wilson said: “Living in the care home, the staff are very important to us. The team at Jesmond help us in any way they can, which is vital when you struggle to fully look after yourself as you get older. Since we’ve experienced the care first-hand, I think we know what to look for in candidates.

“I’m looking for staff who are patient, understanding and good listeners. They also need to be ready for a joke too.”

Dawn Gardiner, Home Manager at Jesmond Care Home, said: “We have staff from all different backgrounds at Jesmond, and we all bring something new to the table. I believe that if you’re kind and hard-working, you’ll fit right in with us.”

At Croftbank Care Home in Uddingston, Home Manager, Denise Mote, said: “We’re so lucky to have such a caring and dedicated team here at Croftbank, and it will be lovely to welcome some new faces. I’ve recently joined the team at Renaissance Care myself, and it’s a fantastic place to work. The residents and staff have been entirely welcoming, and I already feel like part of the family.”

Louise Barnett, managing director at Renaissance Care, said: “Following what has been an incredibly difficult time for residents and staff across the country, it’s even more important that residents are part of the recruitment process, finding people that they can build personal relationships with.

“Renaissance Care is an inclusive place of work, and there really is a role for everyone in our homes. We offer extensive opportunities for our staff to develop their skillset, and would urge anyone with a caring heart and strong work ethic to apply.

“Our staff and residents within each of our homes become a tight knit family, and we are looking forward to welcoming more staff members into the mix.”  

A local Edinburgh bagpiper has been moving care home residents to tears with nostalgic melodies.

The musical visit from piper, Matt McKelvie, was organised by dedicated care home staff at ’s Pine Villa in Loanhead after putting up a notice on social media.

Playing traditional Scottish melodies such as ‘Scotland the Brave’ and ‘Highland Cathedral’, the young Edinburgh piper is now returning for his second gig.

Matt McKelvie said: “I saw that Pine Villa was looking for a musician on social media and thought playing the bagpipes for care home residents sounded great.

“As things are getting back to normal and people start to socialise more, I think events like these are so important, as they brighten up residents’ days and they get to enjoy something a bit different from their usual routine.

“It was a lovely event, everyone really enjoyed themselves! Residents were dancing away and laughing, it was great.  

“One of the residents used to be a minister for the Church of Scotland, so he asked me to play ‘Amazing Grace’ for him. It was truly heart-warming seeing his face light up when he heard the song.”

At 8 years old, Matt started private lessons at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming at Redford Barracks.

His early passion for music was ignited by his grandfather who used to be a drum major for ‘The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders’ and has been a leading role model and inspiration.

The young bagpiper added: “The best part for me was the way I made the residents feel, seeing them enjoy my playing truly makes me happy.

“I mainly have been playing at weddings and funerals, but after visiting Pine Villa, I am hoping that will change soon and I can play at a broader variety of events and celebrations.”

Originally a hobby Matt is seeking to play full-time after he completes his higher education at Glasgow National Piping Centre.

Denise Williams, manager at Pine Villa, said: “Our residents had an amazing time listening to Matt and it was a delight to see them enjoying themselves and are looking forward to having him play again.”

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.