A lifestyle coordination team in Queensland has successfully hatched a plan to connect their residents with the joy of raising baby chickens.
TriCare Upper Mount Gravatt teamed up with Henny Penny Hatching to bring in the two-week chick-hatching program that has proved a great source of entertainment while invoking a sense of nurturing, prompting residents to recall fond memories of their youth.
Resident Kerri Marshall, 79, loves checking in on the chicks and watching them explore the world.
“Over the last few days, I have spent a lot of time in the sitting room, not just watching the
chicks, but my fellow residents and visitors,” she said.
The Henny Penny Hatching program is popular with aged care residents as it is an interactive therapeutic activity, even for those who may be bedridden.
“It’s generated discussion, interaction, a sense of anticipation. We’ll certainly be looking to do it again, it’s a wonderful well-being exercise.”
With 12 eggs in their possession, 11 chicks have come out of their shells. Residents are waiting patiently for the last one to hatch so they can be moved into a separate cage.
