May 27, 2020

Woman Rents ‘Cherry Picker’ To Sing To Seniors In Multi-Level Nursing Home

With social isolation of elderly people reaching epidemic proportions before the COVID-19 pandemic, visitor restrictions and lockdown laws have removed some of the last remaining outside-interactions that residents hold so dearly.

Like many special visitors to aged care homes, professional singer Colette ‘Coco’ Hawley has been unable to perform for her beloved residents in person, but not even lockdown was enough to stop this Chicago native from ensuring that they felt special.

Taking performance to ‘new-heights’ is in most cases a phrase that embodies an improved level of showmanship, but Ms Hawley has managed to do just that, both literally and figuratively.

In a completely selfless act, Ms Hawley went out and rented herself an industrial-sized cherry-picker as a means to get closer to residents while she put on a free-show outside of a local multi-level nursing home.

Ms. Hawley shared her thoughts on the unique performance with fans via her Twitter account.

“I rented a Cherry Picker to sing to seniors (close but not too close!) for Memorial Day. This is an unbelievably hard time for them. I love & value our seniors. NO ONE IS DISPENSABLE. Offering free shows to nursing homes. 💖 coco.”

Ms Hawley has been performing free-shows for nursing home residents for five years, all of which are deeply appreciative of being able to hear amazing renditions of some of the most well-known hits from yesteryear.

However, her latest performance managed to enthrall both the residents and locals who were stunned to hear a soulful rendition of Little Richard’s, Tutti Frutti, being performed through a megaphone from a platform in the sky.

Despite the elaborate change of venue, Ms Hawley’s mesmerising performance still managed to capture the hearts and minds of her isolated elderly audience.

A bunch of residents couldn’t contain themselves and actually ventured outside to dance along, many of whom were grooving along to the songs from their wheelchairs.

During an interview with CBS News, Ms Hawley revealed that maintaining this level of human connection was extremely beneficial for her personal wellbeing as well as her elderly audience.

“There were people on the street, neigbours were dancing, I mean – It was probably the most significant human contact that I’ve had throughout the pandemic. It was just fantastic.”

Photo Credit – iStock – dossyl

Leave a Reply

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

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Elder Abuse: New Recommendations For Governments To Protect Older People

June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. And this year, a new Australian report was released on this very subject.   After a 15 month investigation by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC), the Elder Abuse—A National Legal Response was presented. In it was 43 different recommendations of law reform to help protect older... Read More

How the Elderly Are Affected by Autism

Individuals with autism already face an entirely new set of challenges throughout the duration of their life. But, what happens when you add the factor of aging to autism? Oftentimes, when people think of autism, they think of a sweet, little, innocent child who might display a few obsessive interests and might become upset by... Read More

Neglect… it must stop in aged care

The title of today’s Interim Report from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, ‘Neglect’, encapsulates aged care in Australia. Unfortunately, it’s that simple – the history of aged care in Australia is a story of woeful and increasing neglect, according to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF). The Commission’s Interim Report... Read More
Advertisement