There’s never a dull moment at Glengara Care. With Lauren at the helm as Diversional Therapist, residents are spoiled for choice with social activities, Central Coast outings, and things to do. At twice-weekly exercise classes, residents practise sit to stand exercises and other movements to improve mobility. Not only that, but they get active with a pool noodle! Balloon tennis and noodle soccer are particularly popular for good reason: here’s noodle soccer in action.
Some residents have taken to exercising in their homes as well as during classes, and Lauren has seen a vast improvement. She says some residents no longer need to hold onto the chair when they stand.
Bingo mornings are another resident favourite, and Lauren also devises games or quizzes to add a dash of fun to Friday night happy hour. She recently compered The Price is Right, finding grocery items that were available in the 1950s and asking residents to guess how the price has changed in the decades since.
But Lauren doesn’t just connect with the residents. For Christmas, she made sure that one resident’s cat, Lucy, was well looked after. Lucy found a toy mouse under the Christmas tree, thoughtfully gifted to her from ‘Santa’.
And that’s not all. Lauren is bursting with ideas for the future, and has plans to bring over a group of 3-year-old children from a nearby childcare centre for an inter-generational game of balloon tennis. She may also have mentioned hiring a “party pony” for Melbourne Cup later this year. Stay tuned for more of her great ideas!
