‘Gung Hei Fat Choi’ as Care Homes Celebrate Chinese New Year

Care homes in the South have celebrated Chinese New Year with festivities, lantern making, food, music, talks and language learning.

Residents, team members and visitors have all come together for fun activities to mark the start of the Year of the Rabbit.

At The Aldbury, Colten Care’s dedicated dementia care home in Poole, residents were greeted with jasmine tea and fortune cookies with traditional Chinese music playing in the background ahead of an arts and crafts session on making Chinese lanterns.

After much threading and construction, resident Beryl Spaulding said of the completed works when they were held up: “Just beautiful”.

Companionship Team member Cara Duroe said: “Some of the messages in the fortune cookies were very apt. Ronald Woolley’s read, ‘Getting older means getting better. Old is good. Get old. Get happy.’ Another read, ‘Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.’

“Residents also learned how to draw their name in Chinese. Gwendolyne Hunte took great care in filling hers out, asking for the finished paper to be put on her bedroom wall.

“This was a great celebration overall, promoting awareness of another culture and providing stimulation through our planned activities.”

The fun at Colten Care’s Outstanding-rated Kingfishers in New Milton, Hampshire, included a talk by Senior Care Lead Fay Suenfa.

Born in China, Fay shared details of her family traditions and how they celebrate Chinese New Year.