Sham-rockin’ across Cambridge for St Patrick’s Day celebrations
Excelcare homes in Cambridgeshire enjoyed celebrating St Patrick’s Day and all things Irish last week!
Care homes across the Excelcare group encourage residents to mark cultural celebrations like St Patrick’s Day In style, as we care for many people of Irish heritage. It also gives people from different backgrounds the opportunity to learn something new and celebrate their friend’s cultures with them.
Each care home in the region celebrated the day differently, with snacks, drinks and activities relating to the day.
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Aliwal Manor served an Irish buffet to celebrate St Patrick’s Day so everyone could try food and drink
native to Ireland.
They started the day by tasting Bailey’s Fudge and Irish coffees. These coffees are special because they contain a drop of Irish Whisky and cream, which some residents thought was a little bit daring, but they all enjoyed trying them and said they tasted “lovely.”
Steve and Janice, who are chefs at Aliwal Manor prepared an Irish stew for lunch, complete with a choice of Irish Apple Tart or Bailey’s Cream Tart for dessert. Everyone said it was lovely to try these new flavours and a welcome change to their normal menu.
In the afternoon, residents enjoyed a slice of Irish fruitcake with their tea and had a discussion about the history of St Patrick’s Day. Residents enjoyed learning about the day and finishing off with some Irish themed quizzes, crosswords and relaxing music.
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At Brook House Care Home, the people living there took part in some St Patrick’s Day themed arts and crafts. They were making an Irish stand up bar, decorated with a pot of gold, rainbows and shamrocks. Whilst they worked on the craft piece, they wore leprechaun style hats which was fun for all.
In the afternoon, Irish music played using the home’s ‘Tiny Tablet’ device and residents were dancing along. After an active afternoon, residents unwound with a slice of cake and a tipple of their choice during a game of bingo!
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Residents of Glennfield Care Home in Cambridge enjoyed some baking activities on St Patrick’s Day. This involved making some vanilla buns with Irish fondant! Shamrocks, hats and rainbow shapes were used to decorate the buns and were each enjoyed with a cup of tea!
In the afternoon, Lifestyle Coordinator, Katie, dressed up like a leprechaun and visited residents around the home. This raised many smiles at Glennfield and certainly boosted individual wellbeing.
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There were double celebrations on St Patrick’s Day at Buchan House as Ann, an Irish lady who lives at the home celebrated her 93rd birthday. Her daughter had arranged to visit on this day too, which was very exciting for Ann. It was lovely to see them reconnecting and their laughter could be heard from down the corridor.
Meanwhile, other residents were gathered in one of the communal areas listening to a selection of Irish songs by Daniel O’Donell. Pictures from Ireland were passed around while he sang which made for an interesting and interactive session.
In the afternoon, they watched an old black and white film called ‘Rooney’, which was written by George Pollock and starred John Gregson, Muriel Pavlow and Barry Fitzgerald. It was all about a Gaelic sportsman who worked as a rubbish collector in Dublin During the week. Residents really enjoyed it and said they found it very funny.
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In the build-up to St Patrick’s Day at Etheldred House, residents enjoyed getting creative and decorating their lounge with Irish themed items. To do this, they used card shape cut-outs and stuck scrunched up pieces of green tissue paper onto it. It created a really nice effect and looked brilliant when on display.
In the afternoon, Irish music was played which residents sang and danced along to. Although they didn’t know all of the songs, they created a lovely atmosphere as residents sipped their favourite drink.
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St Patrick’s Day was well enjoyed across the Excelcare group and everyone had fun taking part in a variety of Irish themed activities.