Activities at Kirkburn Court Care Home
Here at Kirkburn Court, we aim to facilitate a personalised programme of meaningful activities, which are designed to promote independence, social stimulation and cognitive function. We strive to create a comfortable and safe environment where fun, creativity and individuality are encouraged. We feel it is important for us and residents to place value on yesterday, today and tomorrow – which is why we invest heavily in getting to know residents and learning their life history.
Our inclusive, yet respectful ethos is reflected in the wide range of activities we offer – ranging from larger structured group activities to one-to-one sessions. Our monthly activity programmes are extremely varied, but some of the activities you may expect to find include concerts, crafts, games, exercise sessions, reminiscing and outings. We also have a strong relationship with the local community and often invite external guests into the home, including performers, schools, and choirs.
Claire Burden
I began my career with Barchester in December 2017. Having worked within the teaching profession for the preceding 8 years, I feel that I bring a range of transferable skills to the activities team.
I strongly believe that the provision of activities is about so much more than just structured, planned events – capturing and celebrating the little moments in daily life, such as enjoying a chat and a cup of tea together, are equally as important.
Activities, no matter how big or small, should be at the heart of every home and that individuality should be celebrated. In addition, I feel that activities should take a person-centred approach, which is why I enjoy spending time with the residents and learning about their preferences and their history.
My own interests include football, politics, crafting and drinking tea, and I enjoy nothing better than engaging with residents on these topics! I aim to bring energy, a friendly smile and a willing ear to the home each day.
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 Kirkburn Court Care Home
Historic Royal Palaces
Across our services, our residents were treated to a special virtual sensory storytelling session. Together with Art Historian Jon Sleigh and the Historic Royal Palaces community team, we explored several royal palaces through the theme of food, dining and celebration!
We enjoyed a fantastic taste-a-long experience from the comfort of our home, from Tudor treats to Stuart sweets. A lovely time was had by all.
Virtual Book Club
Across our services we had a lovely time joining Mark Piesing for an exciting virtual event to discuss his book ‘N-4 Down: The Hunt for The Arctic Airship Italia’.
Our residents were thrilled to find out more about the book and the fascinating story of the world-famous exploring airship Italia, returning from the North Pole on May 24, 1928. The airship was struck by a terrible storm and crashed somewhere over the Arctic ice, triggering the largest polar rescue mission in history.
The virtual book club experience was truly enjoyed by all.
Pancake Day
What better way to celebrate Pancake Day than to make and eat some pancakes! Many of our residents were prize winning bakers so it was great to let them lead the way during this process. We had some lovely reminiscing chats and shared our recipes. Our residents did a great job with preparing the mixture and then overseeing the cooking. We then sampled our handiwork - delicious! We followed this with a pancake toss competition – it was great to see residents, staff and even some of the build team join in! Great hilarity ensued - with several pancakes landing on the floor! It was great to hear the home filled with laughter.
Valentine's Celebration
Our residents have enjoyed engaging in many Valentine’s themed activities. We began by making some decorations and cards to be delivered. We also hosted a special themed Kirkburn Café whereby residents and staff gathered for cake and chat. It was lovely to see everyone socialising and having good fun together. We also welcomed back the ever popular Dennis and Moira for a lovely afternoon of music. A great time was had by all.
Boogie in the Bar
Some of our residents attended the monthly Boogie in the Bar event at the Buchanhaven Hearts. We had a great time strutting our stuff on the dancefloor and enjoyed a fine fly cup too. It was great to be out and about and a couple of our residents met in with folk they knew from the local community – so there was lots of newsing going on!
Robbie Burns Day
We have had a lovely time celebrating Burns Day this year. Our haggis was expertly piped in by great local young piper Josh and then the address to the haggis was performed by our carer Graeme – who even donned his kilt for the occasion! After enjoying a lovely lunch we were then entertained by the ever popular Raymond – we had a great sing along to all the classic Scottish tunes! There may have even been some dance moves on show too!
