Activities at Strachan House Care Home

A much cherished Care Assistant at the Strachan House Care Home in Edinburgh has received a prestigious Long Service Award in celebration of working at Barchester Healthcare for 20 years.

Greg Libanan, a much valued Senior Care Assistant, started at Barchester in 2004 and has worked in dedication with residents and their relatives to ensure that their needs have been met over the years.

He was presented with a £250 shopping voucher by visiting Regional Director Mandy Hurst, a golden leaf and gifts from his colleagues and friends.

Adele Keenan, Employee Services Director at Barchester said: “I’m always pleased to hear stories about the long service of Barchester staff and am delighted Greg has achieved this milestone. It is dedication like this that ensures our residents are provided with a happy place to live.”

What a fun filled afternoon we had with our good friends at Cargilfield School.

There was a lot of excitement as we held our very own mini-funfair here at Strachan House! Not only was this intergenerational activity a lot of fun, but it allowed for teamwork (and healthy competition!) as residents and the nursery children were able to work together, playing games such as Tin-can alley, Ten-pin bowling, Hoop Throwing, 'Darts' and Ring toss! It was wonderful to see everyone getting involved and to have such a joyous, spirited atmosphere.

Strachan House truly shared the love this Valentine’s day.

We had a rather emotional day as we shared what love meant to us. We spoke shared stories of love had, love lost, and love found.

There were tears, hugs and laughter throughout the home, as we reminisced and contemplated what valentines meant to us. The home was beautifully decorated, full of flowers and the staff wore pink and red for the occasion. We hope to continue to share deep connections with those around us, to show support and care for all and spread the love, always.

Staff and residents at the home were treated to an interactive virtual Valentine’s table decorating masterclass, courtesy of talented master florist, Kathryn Delve. 

Kathryn is an independent florist based in Somerset, she specialises in creating unique wedding and event flowers, all sourced from her local flower farm. She takes much of her inspiration for her displays from the beautiful scenery that surrounds her home and the changing seasons and colours.

During the workshop, residents were invited to join Kathryn to make beautiful Valentine’s-themed table decorations. The home went for a traditional colour palette of pink, red and white flowers and the displays will be used to decorate the home ready for Valentine’s Day celebrations. 

Strachan House care home, in Blackhall was full of animal mischief on Monday when a dynamic guinea pig duo came to visit the home.

Residents at Strachan House were delighted to meet their new furry friends Elvis and Frank, as Craig from Therapypets Edinburgh paid a visit with the two talkative boys. Residents were able to Brush, stroke and feed the well behaved duo who lapped up all the attention!

Across our services residents had a fantastic time during a special live virtual event, led by Emilia from Medical Detection Dogs. Emilia took us on a journey to discover how the organisation began training dogs to support people with complex health conditions, saving their lives on a daily basis.

Using their amazing sense of smell, these dogs can identify odour changes emitted prior an episode and alert the person to take preventative action.

We were introduced to the wonderful dogs and the science behind the sniff.  It was a delightful experience for everyone, especially our canine-loving residents.