Activities at Pentland View Care Home

It was time to pull out the pumpkins and glow sticks and celebrate as we held another Memory Lane Disco. With a Halloween theme, it gave everyone a chance to join in on the fun. While the lights shone and the music played, those with happy feet were up and dancing while others enjoyed the sensory experience in their seats, while munching on the lovely themed cupcakes made and decorated by the home’s baking club. 

We all love music here at Pentland View, so any excuse to listen to some good tunes and to get up and have a boogie is always welcome!    

Recently we took a run around the county with a mini-bus full of residents. First, we stopped at the Castletown garden centre for Willie to pick out plants and bulbs for the garden. 

Next, it was back on the bus and on the road to Groats, where we hunted for the Penguin Books Free lending library box. We also stopped at Café Groats and enjoyed coffees and cakes while admiring the view. It was a lovely afternoon.

We recently received a box full of reminiscence goodies from Boots, and it was enjoyed by all, but especially by Wilma, who worked in a pharmacy for decades. 

The box contains everything from familiar baby products from years gone by to copies of handwritten prescriptions (oh how we laughed at how they ever read them!), an old boots catalogue, beauty and shaving products, and even curlers and a headscarf! It was a delight to go through everything one by one and reminisce.

It was a glorious few weeks of sunshine in the Far North of Scotland, and we made the most of it while we could! Every chance we had we were out in the garden, enjoying the beautiful blooms, sunshine, and each other’s company. 

From singalongs, books, club, and garden games, we made sure to get out, get moving, and soak up the sun (while wearing our factor 50, of course!)

We have greatly enjoyed our blocks of Play Away music sessions here in the home. 

These intergenerational music classes never fail to put a smile on everyone’s faces and to get us singing, playing and moving along. It’s our time to “grow down” and enjoy the simple pleasures of making music and remembering many of the songs that we used to sing with our own children.

We recently had a ladies’ shopping trip to Wick, and had a fabulous time. Our first stop was the café at Tesco, where the ladies all tried their first pumpkin spice latte. It was certainly a hit, as was the caked that they had with it. After enjoying our seasonal cuppas, it was time to do some personal shopping, as well as to pick up Halloween decorations for the home. From books to toiletries to perfumes and clothes, not an aisle was missed out. 

The ladies even ran in to familiar faces along the way and stopped to chat and catch up. After Tesco was thoroughly browsed, it was off to B and M, where the ladies enjoyed browsing not only the autumnal décor, but also (dare we say it) the Christmas decorations! After making our purchases, and with the wind starting to blow outside, it was back on to the mini-bus and home to Thurso, where we cosied up with another cuppa to look over our purchases.

We were once again joined by our friends from Pennyland school, now in primary 7, for Read a Book Day. The students brought story books, their accelerated reading books, and even their Chromebooks to the home to share with the residents. It was lovely to see both lounges full of children reading with the residents, as well as playing word games with them on their Chromebooks. 

They also made room visits to share the experience with those that wished to remain where they were most comfortable. The residents even had time to show the students their own favourite word games on the Magic Screen, which was a big hit! We always look forward to our time with the students and look forward to their next visit.

Everyone is a buzz at Pentland View after training sessions and a lot of support, as our new digital system, ENABLE, is now active. To celebrate, on the day that we went live, we held a launch party, which residents, staff, and the community were invited to. 

Our chef, Max, baked and decorated a beautiful (and delicious!) cake, and the kitchen prepared a selection of tasty treats. And what would a celebration be without bubbly??

With the weather being so beautiful, we decided to head out to a local animal petting farm. From the scenic drive full of familiar sites to the lovely blue skies, it was a wonderful day out. The residents, Katherine and Jeanine, enjoyed feeding, holding, and stroking all the denizens of the farm, from alpacas and fuzzy bunnies, to Sid the Snake and a bearded dragon! 

As you can see from the smiles on everyone’s faces, it was a fantastic time out, and meaningful to our animal lovers. Catherine helped with lambing over many years and Piper worked at the Mart for 50 years!

Recently, we said goodbye to a face that has graced Pentland View for 20 years! Loredana worked pretty much every position in the home over the years, ending her time with us as a much-loved nurse. With her sister-in-law, Anca, (also a former employee as head chef at Pentland View) she has opened a new café in the town, 4UBistro. 

As we miss them a lot, we decided to pop down to say hello and show our support, while also sampling the delicious food and coffees. In her usual style, Loredana met us at the door and was filling our table with tasty treats before we could even order! As you can see, it was a very happy reunion.

We continue to enjoy our Play Away Intergenerational music classes, which have been made even more special by the attendance of friends and family members. The latest session saw William joined by his granddaughter and great-grandson, much to the enjoyment of everyone. It’s always lovely watching the children interact with the residents, but it’s extra special when they share such a special family connection. 

These youngsters, along with the familiar music and fun atmosphere, really brighten up everyone’s days and put a smile on all the faces. The relationships being built and getting to watch the children grow throughout the various blocks of sessions is also very special.     

The Lomond Ceilidh Band visited the home on a Wednesday morning and brought with them all of the joy and fun that a ceilidh has to offer. To the sounds of familiar tunes played by the accordion, drums, guitar and fiddle, the residents and staff danced, sang, laughed and clapped along. Our faces were red from dancing and our cheeks sore from smiling so much. 

It was a wonderful time, made extra special as one of the members, Addie Harper, was recognised by some of the residents. Wilma, in particular, as a fellow Wicker, was delighted to pose for a snap with him and happy when he knew her by name. Also bringing musical joy in the same week, was a musical trip down Memory Lane with Hugh Dent. As Hugh strummed his guitar, played the harmonica and sang familiar old tunes, the residents danced and sang along, enjoying themselves immensely.

Pentland View went to the birds when Owl Adventures visited with three of their beautiful owls; Teddy the Barn Owl, Eva the Great Horned Owl, and Diego the wee white-faced owl. What a hoot it was watching these incredible birds of prey swoop and soar across the lounge to land on the residents’, visitors and staff’s outstretched hands and gobble up their favourite treats. 

Everyone was rapt with attention to the birds, from the youngest of visitors to the oldest of residents and those that felt the bravest held and stroked them in moments that won’t soon be forgotten. The lovely handler and little Diego also made sure to go around the rooms for those that couldn’t or didn’t wish to join in the main event in the lounge, so that everyone could experience the joy of meeting an owl in person. Whether in the lounges, or while lying in their bed, it was beautiful to watch everyone’s faces light up and to hear the “oohs” and “ahhs” as the owls charmed everyone.  

It was off to Wonderland with Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit for a whimsical day of fun when Pentland View held their first Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. 

To make the day extra special, the entire day’s events and activities were themed around Alice in Wonderland and delivered by The Mad Hatter and Alice themselves. Although rain kept us from holding the event in our gorgeous gardens, the Lounge and surrounding areas were decorated with magical touches, from stones painted by the residents to all the touches you would expect to find in Wonderland. At the tea party, residents enjoyed delicious treats while listening to live music performed by Robbie MacDonald. Of course, there was dancing and party games as well. It was a fun, magical day.

It was time to don our fascinators and glad rags we Pentland View celebrated Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot. The day began with a pamper for the ladies, including make-up and nails being done in the beautiful setting of our blooming garden. After lunch, our well-dressed residents gathered in the Main Lounge to watch the royal procession at Ascot and coverage leading up to the race. While we waited for the action to happen, we had our own races, with the residents taking on the role of both jockey and horse and doing their best to gather up their roll of newspaper with their feet the fastest. 

It was a lot of fun and a great laugh. After the exertion of the races, we were ready to relax, watch the live event itself, and enjoy tea and coffees from our lovely china sets, along with homemade scones with jam and cream. It was a fun and fancy day at the races!