Building a Community at Boclair Care Home

At Boclair Care Home, we understand the importance of building a community and the benefits this can bring to our residents. Our care home in Bearsden near Glasgow has only been open since August 2022, and in the last 5 months, we have created an incredible community of people. Our residents are the core of everything we do, and it is vital to our team that residents are provided with ample opportunities to live a full and enriching life by participating in activities, being able to socialise and meet new people, pursuing their hobbies and interests and having the opportunity to try new things.

We regularly participate in numerous community activities, each of them bringing something new to Boclair Care Home and adding enrichment to our residents' daily life with us.

Armchair Yoga Sessions

Every Monday morning, we participate in armchair yoga sessions hosted by an experienced yoga teacher, Ashley Kellock. She has experience with visiting care homes, and through our sessions, we have managed to gather quite a group. It is a brilliant way to start the week, with the majority of our residents thoroughly enjoying the routines and feeling very energised after their sessions.

Church Services

Every other Wednesday afternoon, we participate in church services at New Kilpatrick Parish Church. These normally include a theme such as Remembrance Sunday, Christmas or Easter. Services usually run for around 15 or 20 minutes and are followed by a cup of tea and a biscuit. We value the time our residents spend at the church services, as it allows them to stay engaged and socialise with like-minded individuals.

Nursery Visits

Our local nursery, Canniesburn Nursery is across the road from us and is a brilliant source of entertainment for both our residents and the children at the nursery. We have spent time with these children before for our Halloween party and we also made Christmas cards in December, which were enjoyed by all and a great opportunity to form new bonds. We have a regular plan setup where we will have various groups of 10 children visit the home, and once a month a few of our residents will be invited to the nursery for afternoon tea. We understand the importance of developing bonds and socialising with different groups of people, and having these nursery visits encourages reminiscence in our residents, which is another vital factor for us at Boclair Care Home.

Postcards of Kindness and Memories Scotland's Archives

We have signed up for the 'Postcards of Kindness' which includes volunteers through Britain sending postcards full of kind messages, and we have received a few cards which were read aloud to our residents. As well as this, we have free access to Memories Scotland's archives which includes numerous audiobooks and a newsletter of their 'Football Special' which we print out and share with residents. It is important for our residents to spread kindness, and reading aloud and discussing with other residents what they have received can have a significant, positive impact on their mental health as well as their speech.

Entertainment

Entertainment is an important part of our routine, as it is something our residents enjoy, it keeps them active and engaged which is what we strive for when supporting our residents to live a full and enriching life at Boclair. Niel Kennedy is an entertainer that piped us into the new year, and we are planning to have him join us for Burns Night which is soon coming up. We have also booked John Henderson for our Valentine's Day party, as he provided us with entertainment for our Christmas party which was a hit.

Resident and Relative Forums

In order to consistently increase the quality of life for our residents and ensure their loved ones are receiving the support they deserve, we have had a few resident and relative forums. They have given their feedback on what we offer, and how we can make Boclair Care Home better for them. We welcome everybody to join in with any of our activities and discuss their ideas and suggestions with us.

If you would like to find out more information about what we can do for you and the community at Boclair Care Home, then please do not hesitate to get in contact with our friendly team.