Tattoo Dream Comes True for 78-Year-Old Care Home Resident

A temporary tattoo studio popped up at a Hamilton care home, offering residents the chance to ‘get inked’ after a 78-year-old resident expressed regret at never braving the tattooist chair.

For Eileen MacIntyre, a resident at Avonbridge Care Home, a tattoo was an unfulfilled lifelong fantasy.

But, thanks to the home’s activities team and local tattoo parlour Cherry Pie Tattoo and Piercing, she got the chance to make her dream come true – albeit temporarily.

Kelly O’Neill, activities coordinator at Avonbridge, said:
“Eileen spotted some of our team’s tattoos and was asking what they meant and if they had hurt. After a long conversation with some of the more colourful carers she admitted she’d always wanted one but had been too scared.

“Over a few different chats, she told me she wanted something that reminded her of her children and grandchildren. We settled on a Tinkerbell fairy design, which reminded her of enjoying Disney films with them when they were young. It’s also a bit of a nod to never growing up and always having fun.

“After that I got in touch with the team at Cherry Pie via Facebook and they jumped at the opportunity to create a temporary transfer to make her wish come true.”

The team at the home set up a mock tattoo parlour, complete with a board of designs and an ‘Avonbridge Tattoo Studio’ sign, before surprising Eileen with her custom design.

Eileen said: “I was really surprised when I walked into the room to see that Kelly and the team had set up a corner to be like our very own tattoo shop.

“I did get a little bit emotional when she said she had done it all for me and had even worked with a proper tattoo artist to make a temporary design for me. She really listened to me and captured exactly what we had talked about. Every time I see it, I think of my family, which is what it’s all about – I might have to look into getting a proper one now!”

Kelley added: “The tattoo parlour gained a lot of interest, and lots of residents and staff got involved. It’s amazing how much fun we had with some simple stick-on tattoos. It sparked a lot of conversation with residents telling us about their own tattoos, and memories of friends and family’s tattoos and what they meant.”