The document summarizes changes at Urray House care home in Muir of Ord, including building a new care home, moving residents to the new home, and increasing resident participation. Key points: - Parklands was chosen to build a new care home next to the existing home, which was operated by Highland Council. - Residents, families, and staff were consulted throughout the year-long change process using meetings, photos, and updates. - The day of the move was carefully planned and risks were assessed for each resident. Staff helped make the transition seamless. - In the new home, activities coordinators engage residents in community activities and gather input on desired activities.

1. Urray House, Muir of Ord
Change of Provider, and Building and Moving to a Brand New Care Home
Parklands were the chosen provider to build a new home in Muir of Ord next
door to the existing home which had been owned and operated by Highland
Council since the late seventies.
The residents, families and staff had lived under the threat of the home closing
for many years and were naturally anxious and worried about the forthcoming
changes, the community was also worried about the changes happening in their
village.
Participation around the move
We ensured that everyone was consulted with, involved, updated and listened to
throughout the year of change this was achieved through:
 Consultation meetings
 Focus groups
 Weekly visits to the new build
 Displaying Weekly Photographs of progress in public areas
 Updating Notice boards weekly of changes
 Monthly planning Meetings
 Being readily available to speak to residents, families, friends,
multidisciplinary staff about any concerns
We kept up staff and residents morale by introducing more outings and activities
and introducing monthly themed meals where we tried foods from different
countries and staff dressed in a fun way in the costumes from that area. Each
resident received a framed photo as a memento or some other souvenir. We
linked in with the dietician for advice regarding menus and this led us to being
involved with dietetics. We recently became the first home to have a dietetic
student placement in Scotland (see poster for more information).
Links with the Community
We engaged with the community by attending monthly church lunch, pensioners’
evening, and updated the local magazine “Muir Matters” with our progress. For
example, we photographed the cutting of the “first turf” by one of our residents
and this was reported in our local newspaper

2. We also displayed a weekly motivational quote eg ” If you wake up every
morning loving what you do, help and inspire others around you to be better
than they were yesterday, then you know you are doing something right in
Business and in life.” Ashley Bodi
Prior to moving in to the new home we had open days where local people, GPs,
Councillors and other people visited. We have two lovely books with everyone’s
comments.
The day of the move was first planned through our focus group which consisted
of residents, family members and staff. The type of things that were planned
there were what furniture and belongings people could take and how it would be
moved across, times of moves and what help or support would be needed on the
day.
Risk assessments were completed for each person and the day of the move
planned with specific times for each resident and their family members to move
to the home, meals were served in both homes and each staff member had a
specific role, to make it more fun they all wore T shirts printed with their role.
We had a closing ceremony when the last person left the old home.
We were very lucky to have a fantastic loyal team of staff who helped the
transition to be as seamless as possible, their first priority was that the residents
received consistency in their care and that although it was a major change it
was fun and exciting. Our residents have settled very well into their new home
and we have retained our “homely” atmosphere which is something many
relatives worried we would lose with moving into a new build.
Participation by residents at Urray House
We now have two new activities coordinators who have carried on our resident,
family and staff “participation”.
There was no activity co-ordinator post at the old UH and we relied on our
volunteers who came once a week.
We are lucky that they have come with us to the new home, only now in addition
Moira Chalmers and Fiona Barclay now share a full-time activity post.
Clearly we can only talk about resident participation from our perspective but
we’d like to acknowledge the valuable role of the carers and the important part
they play.

3. One of the first things we did as activity coordinators was to speak to people
about the type of activities that they were interested in, including joining
community groups and any ambitions or wishes they wanted to fulfil.
We didn’t have any requests for bungee jumping but we had compiled a life
story book for one of our residents whose fondest memories involved Cannich
where he lived as a child into adulthood.
He had said wistfully that he’d never see Cannich again. We were then
determined to help him return there and although this seems like a
straightforward proposition, the resident disliked movement when travelling and
let it be known by loud protestations. He was also prone to travel sickness.
We looked at how we could mitigate the problems and with a motion sickness
tablet, his favourite carer and a bag of sweets he was able to cope reasonably
well with the journey. On arrival he went with the carer in his wheelchair to the
school he attended and spoke with her of his memories there which he really
enjoyed. The resident now has photographs and his story of his trip added to
his life story book to remind him of his visit which he can share with people.
Moving home is a stressful experience and initially people were naturally feeling
strange, disorientated and for some a sense of loss for their much loved old
home. Denise thought that a newsletter would be a good idea to keep everyone
informed and included in what was going on.
At our next monthly residents meeting we asked for volunteers to help produce
the newsletter. This was the start of resident participation with ideas including
resident’s stories and poems. The newsletter is now established and produced
monthly.
In our November issue we had 2 contributions from residents so participation
seems to be growing. Another of our residents acts as postie and delivers the
newsletters which gives her a good walk and a chance to catch up with friends.
The newsletter has also encouraged participation from families who have shared
their skills and passed on helpful information.
With the smaller living areas in the new home it’s been more conducive for
family involvement in the activities and we regularly have family members
taking part which benefits everyone.
We’ve also been making up books which residents keep in their rooms with
photographs and stories about the activities they’ve been doing and when, and
any other relevant information. For example it could be a conversation that
would trigger their memory of the day and allow relatives to talk with them

4. about it. The pages are laminated, large print and meant to be used, food stains
on the books are welcome and confirmation that they are being used which
makes us very happy.
Our weekly activity sheet is put in all 3 lounges so that everyone knows what’s
going on. The activities are decided by the residents and their requests for the
things they enjoy. Feedback is invited and we review and amend programmes as
required.
As well as group work we have 1:1 sessions and involvement in the community
with attendance at galas, soup and sandwich social events, visits to the theatre
and fortnightly bus trips over the summer to a variety of places where we have
afternoon tea before we return.
As well as participating in our community, the community is welcomed into our
home.
To mention a few, we have various churches taking turns to come in on Sunday
to hold a service, and a prayer meeting on a Thursday once a month with the
minister and some of the congregation from Killearnan church. We have the local
pensioners group, the primary school, and pupils from Dingwall Academy doing
their Duke of Edinburgh award and last but not least, the Friends of UH who
fundraise and arrange entertainment evenings.
We are currently taking part in the “Heel toe--- off we go” project with RCOP and
NHS Highland which is a challenge for people in care homes and day care
services to be more active. 5 residents and 5 members have staff have
volunteered to wear pedometers for 6 weeks. At the end of this time the
resource with the highest scores win a prize. Unfortunately we have lost quite a
few pedometers when they were accidentally washed in the washing machine or
fell down the toilet!
We’ve been very pleased to be the first care home in Scotland to have a dietetic
student on placement.
She had an idea of making up memory boxes of foods people enjoyed in the
past as part of her project.
However following a reminiscence session on Tuesday with the residents talking
about foods they remembered from the past and their excellent contributions,
we put it to the residents that we could have a themed lunch, based on their
favourite foods from the past. The student is now doing this for her project
instead.

5. The menu was put together very enthusiastically and will consist of broth made
with stock from bones, salted herring or rabbit stew followed by clootie
dumpling.
Parklands homes are also involved with training for staff to be facilitators for the
Purple Bicycle project which is a person centred spiritual care resource
developed by Prof. John Swinton and Dr. Harriet Mowat at Aberdeen university.
This resource is designed for people who cannot express their wishes,
preferences, what is important to them, what makes them feel happy or sad.
The facilitators identify the people who care for the person and can help them
tell their stories well to develop a personalised action plan.
I think what we offer at UH now is more homely than most peoples’ perception
of what a care home looks like. We have come from the seats around the walls
in the large lounge with everyone facing into the centre of the room to 3
separate living areas with 2 sections of 12 people and one of 10. This has
created a more natural way of living which will hopefully make it easier for
people to form relationships, have a sense of belonging and take ownership of
the home where they live.
Contact
Denise Scott
Manager of Urray House
Tarradale Gardens
Muir of Ord
IV6 7SY
01463 870516
Denise.Scott@parklandsgroup.com