Glasgow care home residents go for gold with own Winter Olympics

Complete with their own opening ceremonies, Renaissance Care residents from around the country will be taking part in the fortnight-long event which was created by staff to encourage mobility, fitness and wellbeing.

Games

The Renaissance Care Winter Olympics comes as the snowball effect of a successful summer Olympics held in the homes in July. The event will see 16 Scottish care homes take on a range of sporting games designed to suit the abilities of residents building fitness, confidence and team spirit.

Contenders will be going head-to-head or working with a team in a number of sports including stationary skiing, designed to improve arm strength and stamina, seated ice-hockey, to develop aim and team-work, and indoor curling, to increase hand-eye co-ordination and independence.

‘Snow’-body has been left out of the fun across the group, with those who prefer to spectate working with staff over the past couple of weeks to make sure the event goes off without a hitch.

Crafty residents and staff have been busy creating signage for the occasion, placards with messages of support for the sports-people, and have even turned areas in the home to apres-ski chalets where spectators and athletes alike can enjoy a hot chocolate.

Support

Skipper of the competing GB Curling team and three-time Olympic champion, Eve Muirhead, caught wind of the event and has shown her support with a video message filmed for Renaissance Care residents.

She said: “I hear you’re all giving curling a go, what a great opportunity to do that in the month of February. I hope you enjoy it. I’ll be competing at the Olympics in Beijing, but I hope you all have lots of fun.”

Resident at Renaissance Care’s Whitecraigs Care Home, Irene Kelly (100), said: “I would have never believed I would be competing in an Olympic competition, let alone twice at 100 years old! It’s all fun, of course, but I think a lot of us residents feel much better for the exercise too. It’s been something to look forward to through the winter months, and I’m grateful to all the staff for their efforts.”

Yvonne Mackenzie, operations director at Renaissance Care, said: “Just as our summer Olympics, this campaign has underlined the extra lengths our staff go to ensure the residents in their care not only are well and staying fit, but are having fun and enjoying life to the fullest.

“The Winter Olympics is the first of many events we have scheduled for our residents throughout the year to encourage physical activity and mental wellbeing, and if the creativity and effort of this campaign is anything to go by, this year will be a fun-filled one for all.”