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
Home support Ukraine donations
Residents and staff from Barchester’s Kirkburn Court together with sister homes Highview House in Inverness, Lethen Park and South Grange in Monifeith, have been putting together care boxes to try to help ease the suffering of people affected by the war in Ukraine.
Desperately wanting to help in whatever way they can, staff and residents put their heads together to come up with a plan of action and shared the idea of working with Scottish Preloved Baby Box, a charity that creates care boxes filled with essential items such as blankets, clothes and toiletries for people in need.
Discovering the Astor's
Our residents came together to enjoy an exciting virtual talk courtesy of the team at National Trust Talks Service. The illustrated talk took us closer to one of Cliveden’s most famous families, the Astors. Our residents were able to discover what motivated William Waldorf Astor, America’s richest man, to purchase Cliveden in 1893 and how the estate became the centre of high society in the 1920 s and 30 s thanks to his son Waldorf and daughter in law Nancy Astor.
Walk through a landscape
We had a lovely time joining Holly and Marie-Therese from the Wallace Collection, for a virtual introduction to the Collection, followed by a sensory exploratory walk through one of the museum’s most famous landscape paintings. The Collection ranges from Old Master paintings to 18th century French furniture, arms and armour. We all had a wonderful time and cannot wait to put our creative skills to a test and paint some landscapes in the upcoming days.
International Women's Day
In March, we have been celebrating International Women’s Day. Our ladies have enjoyed a lovely tea party and pamper session. Many cups of tea were consumed along with some hand massages and nail painting! We also spent some time learning facts about some important women in history and putted our knowledge in a team quiz too. A lovely time was had by all.
Book corner with Angela Cobbin
We had a lovely time joining Angela Cobbin for a theatre-inspired virtual talk about her book ‘My Name is Not Wigs’. ‘My Name Is Not Wigs’ is the ultimate read for fans of witty behind-the-curtains memoirs, especially those with a penchant for the bright lights of stage and screen: tears and accolades aplenty!
Angela shared interesting facts with our residents about her book, her life and her experiences as a wig creator in London’s West End in celebration of World Theatre Day.
St Patrick's Day
We have had great fun this month celebrating St Patrick’s Day. As well as donning some of our fancy dress attire, we have joined in with a range of different themed activities. We have tested our knowledge with our Irish quizzes, attempted to do some seated Irish dancing, tried our hand at reading some limericks and even played a few games of gold coin toss! The greatest hilarity came when we assigned everyone their ‘Leprechaun Name’ based on their first name and birth month. A great laugh was had by all.
