Activities at Canmore Lodge Care Home

Residents of Canmore Lodge boarded the barge and watched the world go by as they sailed along the canal during a recent day trip. Everyone enjoyed the peaceful setting and laughed as they watched two small dogs try and hop onto the barge to join them, it was their first barge trip of the year and has left them planning the next!

The group enjoyed sailing on the canal with Residents enjoying the peace and tranquility of the barge, admiring all of the wonderful scenery and nature. The home have been enjoying these trips for many years.  Everyone also shared a delicious lunch followed by cakes and warm beverages, Residents commented that they loved the fresh air throughout the barge trip.

Canmore Lodge General Manager, Jane Aitken said: “Our Residents had such a great time, we have several barge trips planned throughout the rest of 2020 as they are always a thoroughly enjoyed day out for all.”

Residents from Canmore Lodge enjoyed an afternoon of baking, which took them back to their younger years as part of the ‘baking’ club worthy of any bake off.

Jane Aitken, General Manager, said: “The residents enjoy spending time in the kitchen, as it not only brings back memories of their childhood, but also times when they’ve baked with their own children and grandchildren. Once all the bakes were made, we all enjoyed sitting down with a cup of tea and a home-made cake.”

When it comes to Christmas everyone enjoys the delight of carols and residents of Canmore Lodge just couldn’t get enough. Throughout December, members of the local community have been popping in regularly to entertain everyone with their singing, while staff from Canmore Lodge brought their own mix of carols and Christmas music on Christmas Eve.

The carol concert had everyone joining in with classics such as ‘I Saw Three Ships', ‘White Christmas' and ‘It's the most wonderful time of the year'. A little humour and some colourful outfits made sure everyone was filled with festive cheer.   Jane Aitken, General Manager said “Our lounge was packed with residents enjoying the concert, and we would like to thank everyone who took part for making our afternoon really special.”

Always on the lookout for innovative and unusual activities, residents of Canmore Lodge recently took a trip down memory lane with a trip to local museum to see a selection of vintage vehicles reminiscence of those from younger days. The museum is a popular destination for local residents and visitors. A highlight of the trip was the display of all classic signs which soon had conversation flowing!

One resident commented “It was lovely to see the old signs and cars as it is all a piece of history. I remember looking at it these cars as a child to see which one I’d like to own.” After the museum, Residents were able to enjoy a spot of lunch before returning home.   

Jane Aitken, General Manager said: “We always enjoy visiting new places and in particular, unusual places that are a bit off the beaten path and we can’t wait to go out again”.

Canmore Lodge care home has thrown an Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party to celebrate 25 years of serving the local community. 

Staff, residents and guests commemorated this special occasion with bringing the colourful characters of Alice and Wonderland to life at their 25th birthday celebrations. The home was converted into a fairy-tale as everyone dressed up as their favourite characters from the Red Queen to the White Rabbit to Alice herself.

The beautiful home was decked with, playing cards, croquet sets and a giant chess set, which many had fun playing with before afternoon tea was served and Pimms and lemonade was enjoyed from ‘Drink Me’ bottles.

Jane Aitken, Senior General Manager of Canmore Lodge Care, was recently crowned the national winner in the General Manager of the Year category at the 2019 Barchester Care Awards on the 3rd of October.

Pete, a judge for the category, said of Jane that “Canmore Lodge has completely transformed under Jane’s leadership. Having to start from scratch to build a motivated team and recruit some new members, Jane ensured every person had the appropriate skills, and that everyone had the same shared focus. Jane inspired her staff, who were awarded a specialist dementia training accreditation in record time.

Residents and relatives became more engaged and Jane’s open door approach paid off with positive feedback from healthy, happy residents and their families. Jane worked long hours and was always at hand to lead and support her team, and during a recent refurbishment of the home Jane worked with the contractors to ensure the home was consistently safe for those she cared for during this time.”

Pete continued “This year, not only did Canmore Lodge achieve a 10/10 rating on carehome.co.uk, only 1 of 5 Scottish homes to do so, the home was awarded the equivalent of an overall Outstanding rating, a double success for the whole team who excelled under Jane’s fantastic leadership skills, determination and belief in her home. Jane has demonstrated an excellent performance throughout the past year; not only is she an inspirational leader, she’s a wonderful colleague and friend, and we couldn’t be prouder.”

Jane said of her win that, “I am very honoured to be receiving this award. We work hard here at Barchester with a focus on the people we care for, and not for accolades, but it really is very special to be recognised in this way.”