‘The northern lights of old Aberdeen’ hits Ron's sweet spot
Burns Night celebrations held for the people who live at Butterfly Lodge in Plymouth have been a real January highlight for resident Ron Urquhart who was a native of Aberdeenshire before he moved to Devon.
Sarah McCaffrey, deputy manager of Butterfly Lodge, said: “On the big day we had a visit from Dave the Lone Piper, whose amazing bagpipes could be heard everywhere throughout the home, but all week we’ve been playing Scottish music that’s been bringing a smile to Ron’s face.
“It turns out his all-time favourite song is The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen and he’s been full of smiles, singing and dancing along to this tune every day.
“He’s also been reminiscing with my colleagues about his early life, and it’s lovely to see what a positive impact these activities have for him.
“Living with dementia is never easy, so it’s such a delight when we identify the ‘sweet spot’ that holds the key to unlocking special happy memories for someone – that’s exactly what happened with Ron over the past week, and it’s something we’ll be taking forward with him.
“It’s things like this that make our work, helping people with dementia live their best lives, so rewarding.”
The traditional Burns Night feast was eaten in a dining room bedecked with the blue and white flag of Scotland and other Scottish-themed decorations that residents had fun creating over the previous week and featured the traditional savoury mince, neeps and tatties - plus Haggis for those who like it.
Pursuing the Celtic connection, shortbread biscuits had been baked by residents to accompany afternoon tea, and shots of Scotch whisky went down well with those who enjoy ‘a wee dram’.
Other activities included a fun quiz about Scotland, and reminiscence activities about residents’ holidays north of the border, and about Scottish friends and family members.
Sarah McCaffrey said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to Dave the Lone Piper, and to our amazing activities team, kitchen and care teams who all worked so hard to make Burns Night – and the run-up to it – so special for our residents.”
The Burns Night celebrations are part of a year-long programme of varied activities organised by the activities team at Butterfly Lodge which is run by award-winning dementia care providers Camelot Care. The group also has homes in Bridgwater, Wellington and Yeovil, with a fifth to open in Holsworthy this year.
