Elderly Colchester explorers travel the world from their care home

Residents at the Colonia Court Bupa Care Home, in Colchester, learned all about 13 different countries and cultures throughout September.

The destinations were selected by the facility’s staff workers and each one had a special connection to the intrepid travellers.

The likes of Spain, Russia, Africa, India, Indonesia, China, Australia, Hawaii, USA, Mexico, Brazil and Peru were just some of the countries on the flight-planner.

The residents then ‘travelled’ all the way back to England where they celebrated traditional English tropes.

Each leg of the residents’ journey included handmade boarding passes to give the residents the full travelling experience.

Staff and carers even handcrafted aeroplanes, safari trucks and a red London bus, to transform Colonia Court’s lounge into new destinations.

Residents got stuck in by dressing up as different animals from the chosen countries, celebrating new traditions, tasting exotic foods and learning about different cultures.

Percy Corps, 69, a resident, said: “My favourite country was Spain, as it brought back lots of happy memories about going there with my family years ago.

“I also love Spanish food and drink.”

Colonia Court’s brother and sister duo, Ron and Daphne, aged 92 and 89, both also enjoyed the activity and compared it to their family holidays as children.

Daphne said: “The furthest Ron and I have travelled is the Channel Islands, which made this activity very exciting us.

“We have never had passports, so making these has been great fun, filling them at each country with a stamp.

“It has been a wonderful experience and I loved learning about all the different countries.”

Dawn Kirkland, who is the activities coordinator at the home, came up with the idea for the virtual trip during the coronavirus lockdown.

She said: “I was discussing wish lists with our residents and many of them mentioned wanting to re-visit certain areas of the world and explore new places.

“So the team and I worked together to make this happen, with props, costumes, food and music.”

As much as the nature of the activity was fun for the residents, it was also importantly mentally stimulating.

Jiji George, manager at Colonia Court Bupa Care Home added: “Some of our residents are living with dementia.

“So, not only has going on these trips helped create new memories for all involved, but it has helped trigger memories of family holidays from their past.

“Our residents have all lived fascinating lives, so it was extremely heart-warming to hear stories about their travels and hear them reminisce about exploring the world.”