Activities at Strachan House Care Home

Strachan House care home, in Edinburgh have welcomed two new very important guests to the home, Mr Sid and Mrs Sally Scarecrow as part of the homes forthcoming thanksgiving celebrations.

Staff and residents have begun their preparations with a Scarecrow themed arts and craft session as they created Sid and Sally who now sit proudly at the homes entrance for members of the community to say hello to when they pass!

Barchester’s Strachan House care home, Edinburgh, was a den of ghoulish activity as the home’s spooky Halloween afternoon parties got in to full swing throughout the home.

Residents and staff got in to the spirit of things with decorating the home, hosting a fancy dress competition with prizes for the best costume, decorated spooky biscuits and cupcakes prepared by the homes hospitality team,  pumpkin carving competition between departments and the residents judged before deciding the winners, themed Halloween cinema afternoon with treats, disco with Halloween songs, music, mocktails & cocktails, party games, fun facts about Halloween and also a spooky spectacular quiz. It was a busy but fun-filled day of activities!

As the temperature falls, Residents of Strachan House have enjoyed the warmth of the autumn colour on display in their beautiful grounds creating the most spectacular backdrop from their windows.

The crunching leaves and vibrant colours have made this the perfect time for them to take a stroll in their grounds before settling back to enjoy a warming cup of tea and slice of delicious home-made cake.

Staff and Residents at Strachan House held a charity coffee morning on 25th September to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.  Strachan House’s coffee morning was a big success and everyone had a lot of fun doing it!

The British charity provides financial aid, specialist healthcare services, and all different kinds of support to those living with cancer. The purpose of the coffee morning is to sit down with your friends and family and virtually catch up with a nice cuppa for a good cause. The money raised will help Macmillan make sure no one has to face cancer alone.

Strachan House Care Home in Edinburgh have teamed up with Cross Michaels Primary School for a newly launched pen pal scheme and story writing project, connecting residents within the home to their creative writing pupils.

Residents of Strachan House, run by Barchester Healthcare, have been sharing their stories of the past with primary 6 and primary 7 students, and making new friends in the inter-generational scheme.

Letter writing began with an idea to build links between the care home and the local schools. The project encourages students from Cross Michael Primary School to get creative with their stories, which includes themes about holidays and places to visit, as well as cautionary tales. Residents at the home will then be able to complete the story with their own ending.

Sebastian Zuchlke, carer and his partner Marta Aurzecka – Zuchlke, physiotherapist assistant at Strachan House jumped on their bikes at the chance to be a part of the new government scheme ‘Cycle to work’ initiative.

Sebastian and Marta are just two of Barchester’s staff members who have joined the scheme and to feel the benefits, combining their exercise with their commute to work and improve their overall health.

Barchester has signed up to help employees benefit from this scheme. The aims of this scheme aims to reduce environmental pollution, promote healthier lifestyles, and make cycling to work cost-effective by offering tax savings on bikes and cycling equipment.

Sebastian says “that this was a great opportunity it’s a fantastic bike great for commuting but also great for leisure”.