It’s no secret that staying active, both physically and mentally, is extremely important at every stage of life. At TriCare Aged Care Residences, our dedicated Lifestyle Coordinators work hard to provide all of our residents with the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities they enjoy to enhance their wellbeing.
From art to outings, the program is diverse. The ultimate goal is to offer activities that match the needs and unique requirements of our residents, while also allowing them to be as independent as possible. Many activity ideas come from residents and their families, and we encourage feedback to help us continually refine our lifestyle programs to offer residents the best experience. It is very flexible and inclusive—activities are optional and open to all, and visiting friends and family are welcome to participate too.
So take a sneak peek into the lifestyle programs in our Aged Care Residences, we’ve put together this article that showcases some of the fun times and new experiences happening every day.
New experiences and skills
Learning is one of the best ways to promote a healthy mind, and our lifestyle program offers a host of classes and activities for residents to have a go at something new. Some of the recent choices include the regular cooking class at Sunnybank Hills and a pottery class at Kawana Waters. Many of our residences also offer regular painting and arts and crafts classes such as jewellery making and flower arranging. It’s always wonderful to see their fantastic creations.
Fun and stimulating activities
Getting together regularly to socialise and have fun is always a high priority, and within our communities, we provide many opportunities as we can. Whether it’s our weekly happy hour with your favourite drink or a chair yoga class, darts, bowls or dancing, there are lots of options to allow everyone to get involved. For example, our Cypress Gardens residents have been enjoying regular rounds of target practice (with nerf guns, of course!).
Interactive entertainment
Our Lifestyle Coordinators are always on the lookout for entertainment that appeals and our residents thoroughly enjoy sitting back and watching the show. To suit the audience’s unique needs, we like to mix it up and offer a wide variety of options. Recently we’ve had country and western themed parties, outdoor concerts and other visiting entertainment, including the ventriloquist Eric Reed with Sparky the Doll, who performed for our Mermaid Beach residents.
Getting out and about
Our residents regularly head out on day trips to experience the local sights. Residents from Upper Mt Gravatt journeyed up Mount Coo-tha to check out the amazing views. Residents of Bundaberg Aged Care spent a day with alpacas, and a fun day was had by all from Annerley Aged Care Residence when they played a few rounds at Zone bowling.
Special occasions and milestones
Special days and milestones offer a fantastic opportunity to get together and celebrate, and our Lifestyle Coordinators know how to make it a memorable event. Our staff and residents enjoy getting into the spirit and having fun, from birthdays and anniversaries to sporting events and special occasions. A great example of this was the Melbourne Cup Day festivities across all of our residences, particularly Mt Gravatt. Robert, one of our resident carers wound back the clock to his days as a champion jockey!
A lifestyle program for everyone
Our Lifestyle Coordinators love organising activities and events for our residents and are always looking for new ways to promote health, wellbeing and fun for all. You can see a snapshot of some of the highlights from the program on our Facebook page—feel free to add your own ideas for what we could do next there too!
