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.
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
World Food Day
We have recently celebrated World Food Day by engaging in some food themed activities. We began with a spot of baking and decided to try our hand at making some savoury cheese scones. Many a baking technique and tip was shared around the table as we all mucked in to measure, mix and roll! They tasted absolutely delicious, even if we do say so ourselves! We also took part in some food themed quizzes as well as discussions as to our all-time favourite foods. We concluded that we all felt quite hungry after our discussions!
Move it or Lose it!
We are continuing to thoroughly enjoy our fortnightly exercise and movement classes with Lee from Move It or Lose It. We had great fun as we exercised lots of different parts of our bodies. We did some great work with the exercise balls and also had our trusty game of target practice. Some great fun and laughs were had along the way – and we always say that laughter is good for the soul! We are greatly looking forward to our next session.
International Country Music Day
We have recently had our very own hoedown here at Kirkburn!
In honour of International Country Music Day, we have donned our cowboy hats and taken part in a few different themed games.
Firstly we tried our hand at cowboy boot beanbag toss and we concluded that we have a pretty good aim - although there was definitely some cheating going on! This was followed by Cactus Ring Toss and a game of Rodeo Bingo.
Of course, our soundtrack for the day was a range of classic country music.
We had a great fun filled time, with lots of laughs.
Bus Trip
Some of our lovely ladies enjoyed a trip out to Strichen Lake recently.
We enjoyed a fly cup in the cafe and had some lovely cakes. We then had a wee walk along to see the swans and ducks in the lake - they all came straight over to see us! We took the scenic route back to take in some of the local sights.
We had a lovely afternoon out filled with lots of chat and laughter.
Jo Jingles
We have been delighted to kick off our Jo Jingles Intergenerational Classes again - we have missed them over the summer! Our residents loved meeting the new boys and girls and it was lovely that some of their great grandchildren were also in attendance too!
We had great fun joining in with singing, dancing and playing a few instruments. Just seeing the children brought so much joy to our residents.
Joyful Ponies
We were delighted to welcome Joyful Ponies & Pygmy's - Animal Assisted Therapy to Kirkburn. They brought along Millie and Ruby who were Shetland ponies and also Dusty the American pony. We had a great time learning all about them and got the chance to give them lots of cuddles!
It was great to see our residents, their families and our staff out enjoying the visit. There were definitely a few offers to take the ponies home! They were beautiful!
Although our star of the day was our lovely resident Cathy - she was in her absolute element. She helped to lead the ponies around the building and exclaimed that this had "made her day!" She was delighted to tell the ladies all about her days living on a farm and that she loved animals.
A huge thanks again to the ladies from Joyful ponies for coming to visit us.
Upcoming events
Community Cafe - Last Tuesday of the month
Do you fancy some company and a good blether? Come and join us at our monthly community cafe.
Carer's Support Group - 4th Wednesday of the month
Hosted by Dementia Advisors from Alzheimer's Scotland, come along for advice, support and guidance on local services. All welcome.
