Residents compete in carnival

A West Australian aged care home has held a games carnival to encourage residents to participate in group activities.

The inaugural two-day inter-house games at Brightwater The Cove in Mandurah involved four teams of residents playing games including bowling, bean bag toss, quoits and shooting with Nerf guns.

Each team picked their own theme and wore costumes including hand-knitted tiger ears, colour coordinated outfits, the A-Team headbands and Guinness branded  hats.

They also trained weekly with a coach in the lead up to the games.

Brightwater chief executive officer Jennifer Lawrence said the games brought excitement to the daily routine of the residents.

“It is wonderful to see our residents getting involved in these activities, and taking part in this new inter-house games competition – all in the name of fun,” Ms Lawrence said.

The  idea for the event came from staff seeking  a way to get residents involved in group activities, especially as regular external activities have decreased due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Ms Lawrence commended staff for the idea of the games event.

“It was clear that a lot of thought and care went into the planning to make sure residents had a great time. From the team training sessions to the trophy ceremony, it made the event very special,” she said.

The Gulf House team in their Guiness hats were the overall winners and received a trophy for their efforts.

Main image: (From left:) Brightwater The Cove residents Shirley Warburton, Megan Porter and Lena Kuchan having a cuppa in between games

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