One of the beautiful things we're seeing out of recent stay-at-home measures is people sharing creative ideas on how to pass the time. A Welsh nursing home may have taken the cake with a creative take on the board game Hungry Hungry Hippos.
As you know, many nursing homes around the world are currently on lockdown. That means regular visitors can't come by to keep residents company. This was especially tough this past weekend, since Mother's Day was observed in the UK. To bring a little light into those seniors' days, the Bryn Celyn Care Home in Maesteg helped residents play a life-sized version of the classic children’s game.
Footage of the fun-filled results was shared on Facebook. It wasn't long before it went viral. "Residents really enjoyed playing a new game today Hungry Hippos. Lots of laughter to lift morale of the team and residents!" The activity is just one of many special things done by Bryn Celyn to uplift residents.
One nursing home's staff in Wales has shifted their minds into creative mode. The Bryn Celyn Care Home in Maesteg, Wales is currently under lockdown, like many other senior care centers. As you can imagine, residents are missing their loved ones.
Thankfully, the team there is dedicated to keeping spirits high despite all that's going on in the world. They have tons of activities queued up to keep their residents busy. Some ladies are enjoying baking Welsh cakes.
They're also lucky to have their community getting involved. Last week, some schoolchildren sent over letters to the residents. In a fun-filled photo shoot, the residents thanked kids for their kind words and thoughtfulness.
It's the video of Bryn Celyn's Thursday activity that had the whole internet smiling. Nurses helped residents play a life-sized version of the children's board game Hungry Hungry Hippos. Using broomsticks attached to baskets, players in wheelchairs were guided around to collect as many of the colorful balls as they could.
The game was filled with a lot of laughs for both residents and employees.
"Well done to the team that thought this out, bet it was great fun☺," wrote one commenter.
"This is amazing," wrote another. "I've seen this on the news- what wonderful activity workers you have there and a great support team for the residents. Excellent positivity and great teamwork!! Well done ."
They're also doing what they can to make sure residents look and feel their best. A number of ladies visited the salon over the weekend, just ahead of Mother's Day celebrations in the UK. Nothing can change your attitude like a revamped look, after all.
Mother's Day was celebrated unlike ever before for many residents. With their loved ones at a distance, the care center staff did their best to fill the void. Moms were treated to high tea and a sing-along that looked like loads of fun.
Bryn Celyn was thrilled to see how much joy the video brought to so many. "Thank you for all the wonderful comments about our Hungry Hippos video," staff posted in an update.
"Bryn Celyn is a fantastic place and this is down to all the hard work and dedication of the fantastic team. I would like to thank each and everyone of you for all that you do everyday to make our residents happy and safe. There will be some tough times ahead, but I know with the team we have we will get through it together. Keep it up."
The residents of Bryn Celyn have been on lockdown since March 12. "Everyone in the home team and residents are worried about the virus," Michelle Williams, general manager at the care center, told CNN.
"But we are staying positive and doing what we do every day, which is supporting our residents, and keeping it as normal as possible."
Quizzes, craft sessions, and exercise classes are some of the other ways they keep residents' schedules filled.
The staff is happy to report that, currently, there is no illness related to the virus among staff or residents. The staff is working hard to ensure that "stringent infection control measures" are met. They hope they can keep it that way.
