Doorstep carols bring joy to care home residents, team members and families

Residents and team members at over a third of Care UK’s homes enjoyed a wonderful festive evening taking part in the national Doorstep Carols initiative.

In the gardens and outside the front doors, residents in homes from Aberdeen to Dorset sang along using the song sheets and backing tracks provided by the national organisers.  In many homes, families and friends were also able to wrap up warmly and join them – all socially distanced outside.

In true Care UK style of fulfilling the lives of residents, the fun didn’t just involve singing for an hour. Across the country, colleagues and the residents they support, arranged rehearsal sessions in advance to make sure everyone was in good form on the night. Chefs and kitchen teams got involved too by creating delicious treats to add to the party atmosphere. Mulled wine, mince pies, hot chocolate and even a full festive buffet were on the menu, all carefully designed to appeal to residents’ chosen preferences.

Care UK’s dementia expert Suzanne Mumford was instrumental in spreading the word about the opportunity to people in the homes.

She said: “When the organisers of Doorstep Carols invited us to join in, I knew it would be lovely to be part of a much bigger movement bringing joy to thousands of people. Residents in our homes love music and singing and I’m quite sure the evening, and all the preparations, brought back lots of long-forgotten memories of carols and Christmas when they were younger. Events like this not only bring pleasure but have all sorts of therapeutic benefits for older people, especially those living with dementia.”

Suzanne has also produced some free useful advice about how to make Christmas happy and comfortable for anyone who has a family member living with dementia.