Chinese New Year at Resthaven Mitcham
Stepping into the activity room at Resthaven Mitcham on Friday 12 February, was like stepping through a doorway to China.
Residents and staff celebrated the Chinese New Year at Resthaven Mitcham with a day of cultural education, and delicious Chinese cuisine.
Everywhere you looked, there were hand-crafted Chinese decorations, including hanging lanterns and lotus origami on each table.
‘Residents took advantage of the informational displays placed around the room and were very interested in finding out their Chinese zodiac sign – telling friends and staff what they had discovered,’ says Lifestyle Coordinator, Sylvia Ortiz.
‘Staff thoroughly enjoyed the displays as well, and we captured a couple of them posing with the life-like mannequins!’
For lunch, kitchen staff prepared a range of Chinese cuisine to be explored and enjoyed. The dumplings with sweet chilli sauce proved to be a huge hit among residents, with many going back for seconds.
‘It’s always great to see residents enjoy food outside of their comfort zone, and many discovered new foods that they had never tried before – we find it to be an important part of the experience when we celebrate a cultural event.’
While sitting down to enjoy their lunch, residents and staff were delighted by the experience of ‘armchair travel’ through China.
‘Residents couldn’t stop talking about the large video display presented on our projector – this was a definite highlight of the day.’
‘The ‘armchair travel’ was a fantastic way of providing residents with the closest experience of travelling to China without leaving their chairs. We all learned quite a bit from the history lesson on the Chinese New Year as well!’
‘It was fantastic to see residents and staff relishing in the day and hearing them benefit from learning more about Chinese culture and the history of the Chinese New Year.’
Every day, Resthaven shares the lives and wisdom of older people and their carers, being one of only a select few aged care providers in Australia offering the full range of aged care service options.
A not for profit, South Australian aged care community service associated with the Uniting Church, Resthaven’s residential and in-home care and support options are offered throughout metropolitan Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, Murraylands, Riverland, Barossa, Fleurieu Peninsula and the Limestone Coast.