Parklands in running for Scottish Care award
31 October 2022
Fresh from its success in the Highland Business Awards, Parklands Care Homes is in the running for a major Scottish care home award.
Parklands is a finalist for the Meaningful Activity Award in this year’s Scottish Care Awards, due to be held in November.
It follows a string of wins at this month’s Highland Business Awards, including Business of the Year.
In its submission, Parklands cited examples from its care homes of meaningful activities that reflected residents’ interests and life history, and its efforts during lockdown to ensure residents remained fit, happy and engaged through virtual gym sessions, virtual bingo with other care homes, concerts, fun days, pop-up fashion stores, pop up cafes, in-house spas and not-for-profit garden shops.
With visits to care homes still restricted last Christmas, the Parklands group produced an exclusive Christmas broadcast with Care Radio, the UK’s only radio station for NHS workers, paid and unpaid carers, featuring interviews with staff and residents at Eilean Dubh care home in Fortrose and Parklands and Burnbank care homes in Buckie. For residents, it was an opportunity to talk about past Christmases, choose their most meaningful festive songs, and listen to specially recorded messages from loved ones from around the world. The hour long ‘Party at Parklands’ Christmas special was broadcast across the UK.
Earlier this year, residents from across the Parklands group were invited to share their memories of Her Majesty The Queen for a video to commemorate her Platinum Jubilee. A revised version was produced following her death in which residents speak movingly of their admiration for Her Majesty and the contribution she made to British life.
‘Memories of our Monarch’ is one of a series of reminiscence videos which looks at key historical events, such as the Moon Landing, as well as precious life moments, such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day, through the eyes of Parklands’ residents
Earlier this month, Parklands won three awards at the Highland Business Awards – the award for Innovation, Business of the Year and Business Leader of the Year for managing director Ron Taylor.
He said: “I’m so proud of the Parklands team for ensuring our residents enjoy so many meaningful activities. Each of our 350 residents is a remarkable individual with quite specific experiences and interests and we work hard with them and their families to provide activities that engage and inspire them. Often, a meaningful visit can be something relatively simple – a visit to a local golf club, a car show or a memorable location - but in each case, the experience is truly person-centred, reflecting the interests and life history of that individual.
“We have a superb team of activities coordinators who are supported by the wider care team to deliver our extensive programme of activities, and I’m delighted that their hard work, during lockdown and since, has been recognised.”
He added: “I’m really quite humbled that a company I set up almost 30 years ago with a relatively small team has grown to become a major employer in the north of Scotland with around 700 employees and a reputation for providing high quality care. I couldn’t be prouder of the Parklands family.”
Picture courtesy of James Mackenzie, Highland News and Media.
