Disco fever spreads through Bupa Edithvale
There was a whole lot of groovin’ going on at the Bupa Aged Care disco in Edithvale where residents put on their dancing shoes and boogied the afternoon away to some of the best songs from the ‘50s.
It was a day to tease the hair, bring out the flairs and chill out with a cold drink in hand. The home’s General Manager, Mark Osborn showed off his best moves and motivated others to follow in his footsteps.
"It was a huge success. The DJ provided some classic hits that got our residents rocking around the clock to Bill Haley & the Comets, while others sat on the side line and clapped along to Elvis," Mr Osborn said.
"We were thrilled to see family members come in and have the opportunity to talk to their parent for the first time in ages. It was extremely powerful to see the impact music has had on our residents," he said.
Bupa’s Head of Dementia Services, Margaret Ryan said the combination of music and movement was bound have therapeutic benefits for the residents, particularly those living with dementia.
It's actually quite difficult to get a person living with dementia to join in exercise groups, they can often feel isolated and have trouble following along," Ms Ryan said. "The beauty of this disco event or any other music based activity is that the music taps into their memory and triggers memories from their youth while encouraging a bit of movement
A point which was reaffirmed by Sharni Jakovich whose mother in law is a resident at the home and was impressed by the costumes made by the staff.
"What a fabulous scene walking into music, decorations and costume clad staff! The ‘50s afternoon was wonderful, the residents smiled, clapped and thoroughly enjoyed the dancing and antics of their care givers," Mrs Jakovich said.
The action kicked off when the DJ threw on ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’ and got a bunch of residents including Ronald Denson in the mood for a boogie.
"What a wonderful event for everyone. We enjoyed some old fashioned fun and laughter in the modern age. Full marks to all for a joyful afternoon," Mr Denson said.
