The St Philips Care teams don’t need much of an excuse for a party and the chance to have a good old sing song so, to celebrate Burns Night on January 25th, many of our Activities teams put together an evening of Scottish-themed entertainment for the residents in their homes.
At Leys Park Care Centre in Dunfermline, the team arranged for a Piper to join the residents for the evening, who performed a selection of songs that of course included a Robert Burns classic, Auld Lang Syne.
But it wasn’t just our homes situated north of the border who celebrated this special Scottish day, Bowburn Care Centre in Durham enjoyed a wonderful few days watching the Highland Games, listening to poetry, and also enjoying some Scottish dancing. A special food-tasting session was also arranged where residents could try traditional Scottish foods like haggis.
Then in Buxton, Derbyshire the Pavilion Care Centre asked one of the residents to become the quiz master for the evening after the Activities team had put together a special Burn’s Night quiz. They also enjoyed shortbread and traditional Scottish music whilst at Chestnuts in Grimsby they enjoyed a lovely Scottish-themed meal.
Offering a selection of activities promotes conversations, socialising, and memory recall for the residents. Simply sitting down to watch a performer or enjoying a meal together creates feelings of togetherness and increases confidence.
Events like these also allow everyone (including staff members) to learn about new cultures and experiences, all of which help to contribute to good mental health and well-being.