Oct 17, 2022

Residents raise a toast over a Sunday roast

Residents of the Fairways Retirement Village in Bundaberg enjoyed a roast with "all the trimmings" as part of a social connection initiative [Source: Bolton Clarke]

Queensland seniors gathered at homes, service clubs, community centres and in aged care dining rooms yesterday to share a roast and a chat in the hopes of beating loneliness.

The Largest Sunday Roast was held by communities and families across Queensland yesterday, October 16, as part of the State’s Seniors Month activities, run by Council on the Ageing (COTA) Queensland.

It aimed to address the fact that one in three older Australians report feeling lonely.

Community-spirited Fairways Retirement Village residents in Bundaberg gathered in their shared hall for a meal of delicious roast chicken with “all the trimmings” – stuffing, gravy, cauliflower and broccoli in bechamel sauce, peas, pumpkin, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

For dessert, residents enjoyed a jelly-topped cheesecake with ice cream.

Retirement Village Manager Shari Westcott said the village’s social club, made up of several residents, began preparing lunch in the commercial kitchen before 9.30 am and had steaming plates of good, tasty food ready to serve after the guests had rolled in.

Almost 40 residents – about half of the village’s residents – chatted over the meal for hours, proving the opportunity to connect over a Sunday roast was an important one.

“The community hall was full of laughter and it was just fantastic to see.”

As the community is made of independent living units, Ms Westcott said there were some residents who weren’t regularly involved in activities and could be more at risk of loneliness.

“We do have some residents that don’t like to come out too often, of their units, so we like to try to encourage everybody to come along and meet their neighbours, have a chat, have a laugh and have a meal together,” she said.

“We are a very community oriented village – we look after each other – and not a day goes by where I don’t have a resident in discussing the needs of the others around them and whether or not we need to give them a helping hand.

“It was an easy thing to put together because we do have that community spirit happening throughout Fairways.”

The lunch was such a hit that the village is planning to run it again next year, and the event is also likely to become a part of Queensland Seniors Month again next year.

Events engaging seniors in Queensland will continue for the rest of this month, while the Tasmanian Seniors Week is kicking off this week, following the finish of the recent Victorian Seniors Festival

Leave a Reply

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

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Racy nursing home calendar raising more than eyebrows

A Victorian nursing home has created a fun-filled calendar to raise funds for locals affected by recent bushfires in the area. The ‘classic movie’ themed photo shoot for the 2021 calendar generated huge amounts of fun for both staff and residents, and has given residents a sense of pride in what they have been able to... Read More

Aged Care Royal Commission: The most important is yet to come

As the first, much anticipated reporting instalment of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Royal Commission is now a matter of days away, it’s interesting to observe the multitude of expectations being offered by many, via social media platforms essentially. These days, in addition to our often maligned but essential salt of the earth traditional... Read More

Old man puts himself up for adoption to escape loneliness

An 85-year-old man who asked to be adopted has got people all over the world talking about loneliness, and raised questions about how we look after our elderly. Lonely after his wife died and frightened of dying alone, Han Zicheng posted a notice in his local bus shelter asking if a kind-hearted person would adopt him. The... Read More
Advertisement
Exit mobile version