Year 8 and 9 students spent time during Activities Week with residents at local aged care facilities. Georgina Powell and Leigh Amores share their experiences performing and socialising during their visits.
Tuesday in Week 7, I along with the majority of my Year 9 cohort travelled to aged care facilities on the Gold Coast. Once we arrived, we launched right into performing for the residents who also joined in for some old classics such as the YMCA and Do Re Mi.
The delight and joy on the faces of residents listening to the music we had prepared for them was so rewarding and fulfilling for us students. Their smiles and whistling really did brighten up the room. Following this, we had an opportunity to sit down and talk to our new friends, as they told us stories and memories from back when they were in school. They asked many questions about us and just about everything we do today. We shared moments from what they used to do on their weekends and their favourite subject in school, to what their children are doing today and activities they are doing currently in the aged care facility.
For some of the people there, they do not get visited by friends or family very often, only seeing them every month or even every six months. Therefore, for us to go where they live and sit down with them, even just for a few hours, is definitely one of the most enjoyable and exciting times of their month. This was evident with the amount of laughs, smiles, whistling, dancing and stories being passed around the room. One of the ladies who I sat down with during the morning, Joyce, even asked at the end of our visit if we could come back the next day.
This experience was very gratifying for myself and the rest of my peers, as we didn't just get to hear stories about times before we were even born, we got to meet new people, make new memories and learn more about the older generation in our society. This was undeniably one of the best activities we completed during Activities Week. Knowing we made someone's day brighter and brought joy to their home, set a positive tone for us to end this term on.
Georgina Powell
I had such an amazing time visiting the aged care. During our time there, we were able to interact with some of the lovely elderly, who shared fascinating and wonderful stories of their past. This interaction successfully evoked many of our social skills.
Some students even performed for the group, playing the piano and singing, which I'm sure everyone enjoyed. Overall, going to the aged care was a great experience.
Leigh Amores
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