Happy St Patrick's Day to the hubby and all the family & friends in Ireland 🇮🇪

A man came into the office, watched the goings on, then offered me a crisp out his packet. 'You want one?'. So relaxed. Just like that. Then he said, 'Well I'll see you later' and went on his way. He's learning to trust people. This little moment was huge. #carehomelife #dementia

Happy #mothersday to all mothers - the ones we have, the ones we've lost, the ones who forget they are mothers or had mothers, the motherly women who support us through life without any familial bond. Thank you! ❤️

Rainbows always make me smile. A sign of hope. A bridge of light between what's happened and what's coming. A symbol of hope. 🌈

The Soul in the Circuit: weaving humanity into tomorrow’s #care. #ArtificialIntelligence #AgenticAi, #humanrights, #ethics, #retail #socialcare scottishcare.org/the-soul-in-...

Wonderful soul-nourishing day with fellow #QueensNurses Yvonne Manson & Suzanne Turner. Three trains each way meant lots of reading time. Sheltering from the wind in book & charity shops where random prompts we wrote for each other guided our picks. 📚❤️

St Andrews bound for a #bookish day with fellow #queensnurses Yvonne & Suzanne. Looking forward to getting a random book buying prompt as we peruse the bookshops & to some therapeutic time amongst friends. But first, some reading on the train.... returning to Lars Kepler...

Delighted to come home and find my orchid has bloomed again...a moment of #joy and #calm at the end of a noisy day in my head.

Watched a webinar on improving #trauma informed practice in #dementia. New terminology was offered - not 'what's wrong with you' but 'what happened to you'. People may have past trauma & cognitive changes in dementia can result in a vulnerability to re-traumatisation in #care.

What are we teaching students about older people’s nursing? When students are listening, how do we talk about older people’s nursing? rcni.com/nursing-olde...

Delighted to deliver training on Personhood this morning and to hear those present consider who they are and why learning a resident's story is important, how it impacts on #care.

I learned a new skill... I can now cast my laptop onto a smart TV! 😊 #littlethings #technophobe

Attended the Professorial Lecture of Prof Joanna McParland this evening at Glasgow Caledonian Uni - a great discussion on social & cultural influences on #pain, moving away from pain as only a biological construct. Of particular interest was the impact of injustice on pain.

Early bees buzzing among the first spring flowers show how systems thrive through #connection. Bees need the flowers; flowers need the bees. A reminder for health & social care: when services work together—each small contribution aligned—people & communities are better supported.

Today for #InternationalWomensDay we are highlighting the stats around women providing unpaid care in Scotland. 91% of unpaid who are struggling to make ends meet said they have had to cut back on essentials. Read our full briefing here: www.carersuk.org/media/t2qjbn...

Today for #InternationalWomensDay we are highlighting the stats around women providing unpaid care in Scotland. 49% of female unpaid carers reported having bad or very bad mental health. Read our full briefing here: www.carersuk.org/media/t2qjbn...

On #IWD2026 remember: nursing is still a female-dominated profession shaped by stigma & gendered assumptions. When nursing is framed as “caring” rather than skilled clinical practice, it becomes easier to justify lower pay. Look at the pay and tell me we’ve really moved on.

In this piece I share why I believe #adultprotection and #safeguarding must always balance #safety and #autonomy with #risk and restriction. Holding liberty and safety in one hand: #adultprotection and #humanrights scottishcare.org/holding-libe...

A 10.3 mile walk with hubby and reluctant son today up the Humphrey, down through Lang Crags and along the cycle path back to Old Kilpatrick. The legs are tired but the soul is lighter....even with son's moaning 🤣. #kiltwalktraining

Hearing so many 3rd year #studentnurses apprehensive about becoming a registered nurse. We were all there. The journey from student nurse to qualified nurse is a true metamorphosis. Remember every lesson, every patient, every challenge shapes the nurse you become. ❤️

What are you reading this #worldbookday? 📚

It's #WorldBookDay2026! We all 'read' books in different ways. We must remember that for some, books aren't just something to pass the time with - they are #comfort, #escape, #support, a familiar #presence. You don't have to read it to feel it. Free the books in your #carehome.

As a #nurse, you see distress and you get curious and you listen to people and you put something in place to stop that distress...and it doesn't work. It might work next time...but it might not. Don't be disheartened, don't fear failure... failing means you cared enough to try!

#sundowning - what if we consider this behaviour as a natural response to days end rather than a problem. If we consider how at the end of the day, we feel tired, we're busy preparing meals, we expect people home, light fades & creates shadows, we may fear night... it's stressful

What a beautiful big moon and so many stars...take a moment and stand outside and just take it in. #wellbeing

Very grateful for the opportunity to discuss my thoughts as a #carehome #nurse on the implications of #assisteddying legislation today with a researcher from UWS. #research gives us much as it takes, with such a rich conversation.

Headed out for a walk to get fit for this year's #kiltwalk. This year I'm walking 23miles for @alzscot.bsky.social - for my nanna & all who I've supported in my career. Who's going to be 1st to donate, to cheer on my tired feet from Glasgow to Balloch? 💜 www.justgiving.com/fundraising/...

As more countries endure the hardships of war, let's remember the #nurses who are battling to save lives and those supporting people sheltering in place to continue with a semblance of normality. Let's also be mindful of those nurses in our midst who live with the trauma of war.

A lovely gesture after supporting someone close to the #carehome who was having personal difficulties. Always important to care and to empower others.

Thinking of #distress in #carehome residents living with #dementia. Recognising the cause of distress impartially, seeing something & recording it as it is, not as we would expect it to be. Becoming curious as to why this might cause distress & how this might be prevented.

#Apricity: The warmth that breaks winter: a reflection on #socialcare. #humanity #change #society #age #Spring scottishcare.org/apricity-the...

I haven't wanted to go out for a walk lately, even though I love walking - love being out in nature. I was stuck in a rut of exhaustion from work, family & hormones. Today, I pushed myself - to the roundabout, then to the next & the next. I completed the route. I'm glad I did.

Lovely catch up with fellow #carehome #queensnurses Jaime McNab and Ashley Kvasiliene this afternoon. Whilst it's important to air our issues in the hope of some nugget of wisdom from peers, it's also great to hear people talk about the positives of their work 😊 @qniscotland.bsky.social

1/2 After seeing Jersey approve their assisted dying law, so many questions remain for me as a #nurse on how this could affect my professional practice & how it could affect those I #care for. What about conscientious objection? Who will provide psychological support to patients?

The wee princess who turned into a diva getting her jags today...think running around with the needle still in her neck 🙀🙀🙀

Saw a horrific video on a childs group chat today of another child being beaten up - truly awful & from a local school. Are we creating a society of bystanders - people who are happier to film & share the drama than intervene to protect an individual. We need to teach speaking up

Thinking about #distress at night (with #dementia) and the power of #fear. If I'm alone at night, in an unfamiliar place, every sound is amplified, threatening. Shadows seem to move, become sinister. This #distress is driven by fear of the dark, the unseen - in all of us!

Two sides of a coin today - a colleague spoke of a relative being encouraged to drop out of her #nursing course by the #nurses on placements saying it's a poor career choice. Two passionate #nqn talked about their experience to current #studentnurses. One stated 'I love nursing'!

How do we provoke further thought? It's important to provide knowledge to students but we must also encourage them to consider the 'what if', the 'what else', the alternative endings to a scenario - to think outside the theory box, because life isn't so straightforward.

Sudden surge in bots on this app... anyone else experiencing this?

If it’s hard for me to be heard, how much harder is it for #carehome residents? When my valid thoughts are dismissed, I feel it. When I question my purpose, it weighs heavy. Imagine carrying that without the words to express it. Being heard, seen, valued isn’t a luxury.

After that deluge...a beautiful rainbow! Hope this is a good omen for the week ahead! 🌈

Are #nurses moving away from #empathy due to workload pressures? Do we nurse managers lead by example with #emotionalIntelligence? Are student nurses encouraged to talk about #emotions enough? Take a look at this video, 'empathy brene brown video' share.google/OqATqjaMJTcZ...

"if we accept a system that only meets “high‑level needs” while neglecting the human ones then we will end up with services that keep people alive but fail to help them live." - keeping people alive without context of what matters to them reduces their resilience to ill health.

On ASP Day, let's remember the #support as well as the #protect: safeguarding isn’t about restriction — it’s about rights. Enabling positive risk means supporting choice, dignity & independence while managing the risk of harm responsibly. Protection should empower, not limit.

Thinking about the #cost of #socialcare today. So often it boils down to #financial costs - either to the individual or to the company providing care... but there's a #human cost to care too - the emotional & physical wellbeing of those who care personally & professionally.

“No one should be sidelined for being neurodivergent. With a bit of understanding, we can build a more inclusive workplace for everyone.” 💙 Want to be a better ally? Our latest magazine feature shares practical, everyday ways to challenge stigma and support inclusion. ⬇️

Thinking about #dignity in #care today & #privacy. Unsure whether a toilet was in use & unsure whether to open the door & check as no answer from a knock. Imagine being on the toilet & anyone can open the door, in fact there's a good chance someone will just to check you're ok...