Activities at Lochduhar Care Home
Activities are the cornerstone of a wholesome home experience and our Activities Coordinators are always putting their creative minds to the test by organising new and exciting social events for residents to partake in. Of course, we take into account the likes and dislikes of those we support, so if someone doesn’t feel like trying something new, there will always be something on offer to reflect their personal interests. For the people who may just prefer some peace and quiet instead, we also offer one-to-one time that can be enjoyed with a nice cup of coffee or just a simple chat – whatever they desire.
Sally Gilder
Sally has been in the care sector since 1998. Sally joined the Lochduhar team in 2018 as a care assistant.
Sally is very passionate about the care she provides and the welfare of the residents. Working as a care assistant Sally was able to get to know the residents wants and needs to provide excellent person centred care to each individual. Then in 2020 Sally found the opportunity to become Head of Activities. Sally feels that she provides a different side to herself to promote an active and inclusive lifestyle through her role as Head of Activities.
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 Lochduhar Care Home
Edinburgh Botanical Garden
Our homes enjoyed a wonderful virtual tour of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh with Community Engagement Manager, Charlotte Walker, and Botanic Cottage Operations Co-ordinator, Laura Gallagher.
The residents were thrilled to learn more about the history of the beautiful Garden, which is now a home to an impressive plant collection from around the world.
Charlotte and Laura also gave a demonstration of making fresh herbal tea and were happy to answer our questions. The virtual experience was truly enjoyed by all who joined.
Remembering the Queen
To ensure our residents could watch the full funeral procession of our late Queen Elizabeth II, we gathered in our communal areas and served a high tea style lunch. For some who chose to spend it in their rooms with quiet reflection, it was served to them in their own rooms. We also created a small memorial table of the Queen for our residents to browse through and remember her service to the realm.
Sunflower fields
We recently took a trip on our mini bus to the Sunflower Fields in the Crichton grounds, in Dumfries. There wasn’t many sunflowers left as the weather had been so hot recently. We still enjoyed looking at them and their different sizes. We also parked the bus and sat at a picnic table in the beautiful sunshine, We then took a trip around the Crichton grounds, they are so nice and so well kept.
Beautiful bouquets
Our homes had a fantastic time joining members of the Wallace Collection for an amazing sensory session.
During the live virtual experience, our residents explored one of the museum’s most beautiful Dutch flower paintings and learnt new drawing techniques.
We cannot wait to put our creative skills to a test and produce beautiful paintings of our own.
Everyone enjoyed the lovely talk, we all had lots of fun and it’s given us plenty of ideas.
Classic car day
On Friday 1st September it was Oomph on Demand Classic car day. We contacted enthusiast Robert Dixon to bring his 1910 Renault for our residents to see. Robert told the residents about his classic car and that it had even been in the TV Series. Downtown Abbey! Residents thoroughly enjoyed seeing the car. The residents thanked Robert for bringing his car.
Memory boxes
Some of our residents have memory boxes which are filled with personal items which can help residents stay connected to their family and life prior to living at Lochduhar. This is particularly important for residents who have dementia and something we strongly encourage families to help create. Boxes can include family photos, memorable gifts or trinkets, photos of family pets etc, really anything that is significant to the resident.
The boxes are a great for reminiscing and helping to start conversations, they really help staff get to know residents which makes all the difference when delivering care. If any families are interested in creating a memory box, please speak a member of the care or activities teams.
Upcoming events
