When the average person hears the term ‘bucket list,’ they probably envision people in their 20’s and 30’s trekking across mountain ranges or jumping out of planes, but the fact of the matter is, hopes and dreams do not have an age limit.
One of the true advantages of growing older is gaining enough perspective to understand what really matters in life, and a group of elderly female residents at a retirement home in the UK have decided that they wanted their dinner served with a side order of ‘potatoes and sausage.’
Accompanied by their daughters and granddaughters, eleven elderly residents laughed, smiled and flirted the evening away as they were served a delicious three-course meal buy a group of very scantily clad butlers at the Milton Lodge Retirement Home at Colchester, Essex.
Staff at the Milton Lodge run an initiative known as Sparkle, where they gather donations and raise money in an effort to grant the wishes of their elderly residents.
Claire Martin, who is the activities co-coordinator at Milton Lodge, said that the idea for the cheeky evening dinner was initiated by an 89-year-old resident by the name of Joan Corp, and according to Claire, the nature of her request was actually not a surprise.
“Whenever you ask Joan what she wants that day she always says ‘a man’. So we weren’t surprised when she wanted it to be her wish,” said Claire.
“We had a chat here and everyone was really keen to support it.”
The staff at Milton Lodge set about granting Joan’s wish by reaching out to a company called Hunks In Trunks, and the gentleman were made aware right from the outset that they would be doing a whole lot more than simply serving food.
“They all had a massage, the butlers went around asking the ladies if they wanted a massage and they all said yes. Ladies were even treated to some relaxing therapy,” said Claire.
“They had a three-course meal with a roast dinner and we asked them to do some harmless flirting, it doesn’t matter how old you are, so why not?”
The oldest resident in attendance was 99-year-old resident Doll Jenkins. Mrs. Jenkins enjoyed the experience so much that she has actually told staff that she would like the gentleman to come back for her 100th birthday.
While naked butlers might not be every elderly person’s idea of a great night out, the fact that the staff at Milton Lodge were able to cater to the wishes of a resident without worrying about raising a few eyebrows, is actually refreshing.
People of all ages have needs, and having the ability to be open-minded and honour a resident’s wishes to this level is actually want person-centered care should be all about.
Images courtesy of The Mirror.UK
