Care home residents in the south have spoken of their love of dance on a day dedicated to celebrating the art form.
Various Colten Care homes staged events inspired by the annual International Dance Day, inviting residents to join in or simply sit back and watch.
At Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst in the New Forest, residents tried out a lively series of seated dance routines to music using cardio drums, feathers and silk scarfs.
Irene Houghton said: “What a fabulous morning. It was so much fun, I couldn’t stop smiling.”
And fellow resident Dawn Pearson said: “I sang along to all the songs. They brought back fond memories for me and made me feel a little emotional. I enjoyed the exercises to music.”
Companion Jane Bunker said: “Residents were eager to engage. They picked up the routines really easily, keeping up with the beat.”
Dance Day was also celebrated at Fernhill, Colten Care’s dedicated dementia care home in Longham near Bournemouth, where the focus was on ‘global culture’ with performances by guest dancers dressed in traditional attire from their home countries.
The nations featured included Thailand, England, India and Philippines.
Resident Mary Gregory, a former ballet teacher, said: “I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in a long time. The costumes, the music, it was just beautiful. A great fun afternoon.”
Kiki Tormey, who also lives at the home, said: “It was absolutely wonderful to see everyone come together and share a part of their culture through dance. It was truly lovely to witness.”
Team members were inspired too. Nurse Ben Kwakye said: “Events like this remind us how important it is to celebrate diversity and create joyful experiences for our residents.”
Both Fernhill and Woodpeckers are rated Outstanding by sector regulator the Care Quality Commission.
