May 11, 2018

The day our nursing home had its own Royal Wedding

With the Royal Wedding coming up I was reminded of the fun we had at a nursing home when there was another Royal Wedding.

All nursing homes have a Recreational Activities Officer who helps the residents to enjoy activities eg arranging concerts, playing games, having sing-a-longs and various other activities. The RAO involves the residents in choosing any activities they would like included.

When Charles and Diana were getting married, one of the residents suggested we have a copycat wedding, just for fun. One of the male residents said he would be Charles and another said he would perform the ceremony. None of the lady residents wanted to be Diana.

The RAO came and asked me if I thought this was something we could do. I said what a great idea and we can have a party afterwards.

I suggested that the RAO find a female staff member who still had her wedding dress and fitted into it to play Diana. She had no luck and came back to me with this news. I said I would try my dress on and let her know. My dress did still fit so I ended up being Diana.

We let the relatives know that we were having a party and they were welcome to join us.

We had our fun copycat wedding with a great party afterwards. A lot of the relatives came to enjoy the day with us and a few dressed up in their best clothes.

It really was a great day and a huge success.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Cameras in aged care: “Would you want your mother and father to be filmed in their bedroom?”

Installing cameras in the bedrooms of aged care residents might catch some cases of abuse, but what would the cost be? If we are to truly respect the autonomy and dignity of older people, surely we should allow them the “last bastion of privacy” – the bedroom. Mounting pressure to instal cameras in aged care... Read More

What makes us so uncomfortable when a resident wants to take a risk with their life?

  Older people should be supported to make decisions for themselves, and not have a life that is imposed on them, says a leading advocate against ageism. ‘Ageism’ is “pervasive” in our society, says Dr Panter, chief executive of ECH, one of the largest providers of housing for older people and aged care services in... Read More

Can remembering make you younger?

Imagine this. You have been taken to a house that strongly resembles places you knew when you were young. The layout and decor are similar, the music being played is similar, and the people around you, indeed you yourself, are wearing clothes that were fashionable when you were a young person. There are no mirrors;... Read More
Advertisement