Activities at Archview Lodge Care Home

Activities are an integral part of life at our care home. We want to ensure that the people we support have as much fun as possible during their time with us, so it’s important that our activities programme is created with the interests of residents in mind. Our skilled Activities Coordinators bring a certain uniqueness to the home that can’t be found anywhere else, and which is reflected in the activities they organise.

Enriching life
Watch our video on life enrichment in our homes.

Diane Wood

Head of Activities

Hi, my name is Diane and  I am Head of Activities here at Archview.  I have worked in the homes since 2009.

I strongly believe in creating moments for our residents and embracing their individuality with tailor made activities, whilst remaining person centred and respecting resident’s preferences. Every day I like to ensure the residents on memory lane can enjoy themselves and have a good time whilst forming bonds with each other and the staff around them.

Outside of work,  I have a 23 years old son and a wee dog called Hugo and my ambition is to make people smile and be happy.

Life-encriching activities booklet

Read our brochure 'Life-enriching activities' for more information about life in our care homes.
Read our brochure

Activities and Events Partnerships

As part of our bespoke life-enrichment programmes, we host a number of live virtual events in the home on a regular basis through a number of partnerships with places of interest and world class performance companies

Life at Archview Lodge Care Home

Exercising the mind, body and soul

Keeping active, having social interactions and being mentally stimulated is very important to Residents at The Archview.   Today was a fun-filled game of indoor skittles!

Every got really competitive, everyone wanted to beat each other and Residents really got into the event.

The home said “Ball exercise is good for Residents wellbeing as it helps with their hand eye coordination and is a good arm exercise to keep them muscles working.”

As part of the homes life enrichment programme, the activities coordinators include firm favourites in the homes calendar with fun-filled adapted games that they played over the years in a safe environment! 

Easter arts and crafts

Easter Arts & Crafts at Archview Lodge, Residents have been enjoying a creative morning as they look forward to Easter. Betty enjoyed herself so much she ended up drawing on the table.

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Valentine's Day Hamper

Irene, a resident here at the home is a whizz and knitting and has very kindly knitted a beautiful rabbit for our Valentine’s Day gift basket which has been made up by the homes activities team, and one lucky person will be receiving this delightful hamper as we share the love.

A touch of Magic at Archview

Archview Lodge Care Home in Dalkeith has recently brought a bit of magic to residents by providing a new ‘Magic Table 360 and the Happiness Programme’ as a way to improve residents’ quality of life.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, the Magic Table 360 uses interactive games to connect residents with staff and with each other, and research shows it improves the wellbeing of people living with dementia. Using interactive light projections, the Magic Table 360, which can be played independently or in a group, stimulates movement by inviting participants to take part in all sorts of different fun activities such as popping bubbles, playing the piano, colouring in pictures, sweeping leaves or interacting playfully with fish. Games are rich in colour, movement and detail, and allow people of all ages to play in a safe and comfortable environment.

The Magic Table 360 is portable so it can be used wherever residents feel most comfortable, it can be projected onto the floor, ceiling, walls, a whiteboard or even the bed. The Happiness Programme allows for a range of games that change seasonally and have country-specific versions covering 14 different categories, so there will always be something new for residents to try.

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Home amongst first to receive vaccinations

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Archview Lodge care home, in Dalkeith, were delighted to be invited to have the vaccination at the home, which has lifted everyone’s spirits after what has been a very challenging year for everyone.

General Manager, Sarah Thomson said: “Last year was a year like no other and the vaccine feels like the light at the end of the tunnel.  Our teams have been magnificent in how they have risen to every challenge during this pandemic and we are proud to play our part in this next phase to ensure the most vulnerable are protected.”

Sally Burnette, staff member at Archview said: “I am so pleased to be given the vaccine.  It will help to keep our residents safe, and is the first step in getting things back to normal and having a buzz of visitors in the home once again.”

Cocktail and mocktail afternoon

Residents of Archview enjoyed a fruity cocktail and mocktail afternoon as they thought of the brighter and warmer weather, with some residents getting into the spirit of the theme with their straw hats!  Conversations flowed as they each reminisced and shared stories of their favourite destinations and for one resident, Ruby who shared her memories of family holidays

Upcoming events

May

May is the gateway to summer and we have lots of fun filled activities planned - all welcome.

Newsletter - Spring edition

We are delighted to share our latest newsletter - Spring edition. We hope you enjoy reading!