Activities at Fordmill Care Home

For some residents at Fordmill care home in Montrose, the long awaited reunion with family and friends became a reality recently, as garden visits have now been allowed to commence at the home.  There has been much careful planning and preparation for this moment behind the scenes at Barchester Healthcare, who run Fordmill care home. Social distancing was still in place, and homes that are able to take part must have a large accessible garden.

Aileen Alberts, General Manager at the home, said: “This has been a much welcomed development in what have been very strange times. The visits are safe and organised, and it was wonderful to see how happy it made the residents. We will of course endeavour to keep up the high standards of care, and continue with our ever evolving life enrichment programme, to keep residents engaged. But this was a lovely day.”

Ann Cooley resident at Fordmill said: “The staff here have been so wonderful and generous with their time, keeping us busy and entertained, especially showing us how to use video calls, but nothing beats seeing my family in real life. This was a special moment, and I was over the moon.”

Residents at Fordmill enjoyed a special lunch in celebration of Father’s Day.    This year, due to the current situation, family and friends joined in the celebrations virtually via video call. Residents weren’t phased by this however, as they have become quite tech savvy at Skype calls, FaceTime, and online events. These platforms are an invaluable way to keep people connected with loved ones and friends, as well as with the local communities, during these unprecedented times.

On Saturday June 13th, the Queen celebrated her second, and official birthday. But there was an extra incentive to join in the festivities at Fordmill as residents were asked to design a birthday cake in honour of Her Majesty’s birthday.  The winning cake design was whipped into reality by the homes’ chef to be enjoyed by residents and staff on the Queen’s special day.

Residents were also treated to a day of fun-filled royal themed activities prepared by the Fordmill team. The Queen’s birthday was marked with a small celebration at Windsor Castle, where the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are staying in isolation.  Residents tuned in to watch a Royal Salute from the military, led by The Welsh Guard and massed Bands of the Household Division, which replaced the Trooping the Colour after it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ‘Jolly ice cream trolley’ paid a visit to Fordmill, giving residents the opportunity to enjoy some of their favourite sweet treats and refreshing ice cream on those sunny days. The colourful sweets trolley was built from an old medication trolley that had been out of use for a while, and soon attracted a queue as the sounds of the ice cream van could be heard throughout the home.

The mobile trolley is very popular at Fordmill and it's lovely to see the residents smiles as they see it rolling along.

It was a nice surprise this morning when 9 large pizzas were delivered to Fordmill from Domino's in Montrose. Even residents tucked in!

Staff, residents, loved ones and members of the community, including the local police, cheered on NHS staff and other key workers at Fordmill, who are helping to keep the country running during the coronavirus pandemic. Those who have recently lost a loved one, stood strong and everyone took a moment to remember as they showed their appreciation for our key workers.