Care home residents have a tale to tell
Bupa resident Charles Thomas with Laura Hardaker and Katie Clark
Residents in a city care home are all set to tell-a-tale or two as part of plans to mark National Storytelling Week.
Celebrated each year National Storytelling Week aims to increase awareness of the value of sharing stories and this year it will run to February 4 after starting on Saturday.
Highclere Nursing Home is hosting special storytelling events throughout the week and is inviting members of the local community along to help revive the lost art of storytelling.
Home manager, Cheryl Edwards, said: “We are going to be bringing classic stories alive so everyone is welcome to join us, whether that’s to share a favourite story or to enjoy listening to other tales and fables.
“A good read is such a valuable activity, no matter what age you are, because it inspires imaginations and brings other worlds to life. Especially for our residents, storytelling can bring back lots of childhood memories and really helps to capture these happy moments.”
Over 300 care homes are helping mark National Storytelling Week and Bupa has also launched a special poetry and short story competition to help residents share their memories.
Supporting Bupa’s plans is The Reader’s Organisation, a charity that brings people together for ‘read aloud’ sessions and which promotes the link between reading and wellbeing.
Amongst the stories and poems being shared, residents and visitors will also be able to read from “Poems to Take Home”, a collection of poems for reading out loud which have been specially chosen by members of the charity’s Get Into Reading groups.
Katie Clark, older people’s project manager for The Reader Organisation, commented on the plans and the benefits for older people.
She said: “The link between reading aloud and wellbeing has been well researched, and storytelling can be very therapeutic for older people.
“It’s very fitting that Bupa’s care homes have tied their activities in with National Storytelling Week to promote the benefits of reading and joining in storytelling – we hope as many people as possible will get involved.”
Anybody interested in attending or taking part in a Bupa storytelling event should call 0845 600 4622 or email storytellingweek@bupa.com.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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