Armchair Travel Series launched at Ron Smith Care Centre
“The idea behind the travel series is that it will take our residents to faraway places in the comfort of their own home.”
An Armchair Travel series was launched as a new programme at Rand Aid’s Ron Smith Care Centre on October 2.
“The idea behind the travel series is that it will take our residents to faraway places in the comfort of their own home,” said Debbie Christen, manager for recreational programmes.
“It will provide an opportunity for us to learn about the people, food, culture, history, music, language, customs and landmarks of various countries and to explore what makes each country so unique and special. Each armchair travel session can bring back fond memories of personal travels in the past, when elders were young and fit enough to have active travel adventures.”
On the day, some of the residents and staff of the care centre’s Woodlands wing ‘travelled’ to China.
The journey kicked off with the group practising some gentle Tai Chi movements to relaxing Chinese music, followed by several short videos on the highlights of China, raising panda bears and the beautiful Chinese Umbrella Dance.
It was then time for a language session, during which residents and staff learnt simple Chinese words and phrases.
Jasmine tea and freshly cooked spring rolls were enjoyed.
The spring rolls were pronounced ‘delicious’, with resident Brian Russell commenting that the spring rolls, cooked by staff, were as good as the ones he had enjoyed in China many years ago.
After tea, a video was shown on the Terracotta Warriors, followed by a lesson on how to use chopsticks.
Residents and staff then participated in a ‘Chopstick Challenge’ where they had to transfer five sweets into a bowl as quickly as possible using their chopsticks.
The first person to get all their sweets in the bowl was the winner.
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“Several rounds of this competition took place as the residents found the activity to be a lot of fun and they were determined to master the technique and art of using chopsticks. One of our residents, who had a stroke a few years ago, was forced to use her left hand and after initially struggling, managed to win one of the competitions,” said Debbie.
The last item on the travel itinerary was a fun slideshow quiz, which tested the participants on their new-found knowledge of China.
The residents thoroughly enjoyed this trip to China.
Five of them had travelled to this fascinating country many years ago and the travel session brought back many happy memories.
“So much planning, hard work and attention to detail was put into this event, which really paid dividends. We all enjoyed it so much and
it was a wonderful start to the gradual easing of strict lockdown,” said resident Jill Jones.
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