Activities at Lochduhar Care Home

Its Harvest time here at Lochduhar as Residents, David and Cameron picked their crops and inspected their potatoes, with both happy with their progress but think the potatoes still may need a few more weeks!  With some ready, these were picked for the homes hospitality team to whip up a treat for tonight’s tea.  Residents here at Lochduhar love their garden club and sharing stories from allotment and gardening days.

Ahead of Armed Forces Day, we were transported back in time for a World War II themed talk and tour of Blenheim Palace, hosted by Antonia Keaney, the Palace’s social historian and author.

Entitled ‘Evacuees and Espionage,’ Antonia’s wartime themed talk focused on how the Marlborough family, estate staff and the Palace itself played a full and energetic part in the war effort.

The talk and tour told the story of how the Palace prepared for the worst, survived the onslaught of 400 boys being evacuated to Blenheim and kept the secrets of MI5.  

It was a lovely experience, enjoyed by all.

There were smiles all round at Lochduhar care home in Dumfries as live entertainers were allowed to perform in the garden once again.  Vocalist, Susi performed a medley of hits requested by staff and residents who really enjoyed the show.

Just like the rest of the country, Government guidelines for care homes are starting to relax and performers can now entertain residents again safely in outdoor spaces.

Gillian Ward, General Manager commented: “It is great to be able to open up our gardens again and have some live entertainment for our residents.  We have really missed being able to welcome performers into our home during lockdown, although we’ve had lots of virtual concerts, quizzes and talks.  It’s lovely to be able to host events in the garden again now that lockdown is easing and the weather is getting warmer.”

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Lochduhar in Dumfries had a fantastic time celebrating National Fish & Chip Day on Fryday 4th June, surely one of the best days of the year!

The homes hospitality team whipped up a selection of different flavoured batters for residents to try along with some home-made tartare sauce and mushy peas, everyone had a great time guessing the different batter ingredients.  The sun was shining so residents took to the garden to eat their fish and chips in paper cones with wooden forks in time-honoured tradition.

We also were delighted to receive a donation from our local Tesco at Cuckoo Bridge, who gave us, tubes of different flavoured Ice creams, some sweet flavoured sauces and some cones. The resident all enjoyed their ice cream and our homemade ice cream trolley.

We had a lovely time joining the team from Hereford Cathedral for an exciting virtual session.

We enjoyed a glimpse of this spectacular building and its treasures in a series of short pre-recorded videos. From the stunning gardens which lead down to the River Wye, to the Mappa Mundi and Chained Library.

It was wonderful to learn more about the history and beauty of Hereford Cathedral.

Residents at Lochduhar celebrated National Italian Day with a themed feast of delicious foods especially prepared by the homes hospitality team which was served with crisp mouth-watering Italian wines to the delight of all.  In preparation of the event, residents created decorations as part of their arts and crafts and listened to Italian music throughout the day and were able to share stories as they reminisced about places they had visited.