Baby Chicks Show Cramlington Care Home Residents The Miracle Of Life

To mark National Pet Month in April, residents at RMBI Care Co. Home Scarbrough Court, in Cramlington, have recently started a Chick Hatching Programme with Living Eggs (https://www.livingeggs.co.uk/), a nationwide company who provide a two weeks comprehensive programme to hatch chicks in schools, nurseries and care homes. Living Eggs aim to provide a stimulating social interaction for everyone, and for residents to remember the ‘good old days’ when every family had chickens in their gardens.

Residents at Scarbrough Court, which supports older people with residential care, nursing care and residential dementia support, received an incubator of 10 eggs, which they had to nurture. Eventually, after 24 hours, they were able to watch the baby chicks hatch from their eggs. The residents were delighted to meet the affectionate animals, who were happy to be petted and stroked.

Taking part in this activity, residents Maureen Meggison and Anne Marshall said: “We are overjoyed with caring for these adorable chicks. It has brought back so many memories!”

Stacey Louise, Scarbrough Court’s Activities Coordinator, said: “It was really lovely to see the residents’ faces light up when the chicks finally hatched from their eggs. They brought joy and calmness to our residents, which is wonderful for their mental health and wellbeing. Also, they were able to get very close and feel the chicks’ breath and feathers, and this was a particularly joyful experience for residents with visual problems.”