Isolation can be difficult for anyone, but for the elderly it’s particularly challenging.
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Caregivers all over the world are struggling to come up with creative ways to keep their residents entertained and happy during the COVID-19 self-isolation period. The elderly are most at-risk for catching the virus, so quarantines are a necessary part of life.
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The staff at Bryn Celyn care home in Wales, United Kingdom have set the bar rather high for other nursing homes out there! In a video the home shared on Facebook, we see that they’ve brought the beloved children’s game Hungry Hungry Hippos to life for their residents.
You may remember the game from your own childhood. It involves four plastic hippos whose job is to “eat” the pile of marbles on the game board. Kids have to hit their levers to make their hippos eat as many marbles as they can, as fast as they can. Whoever eats the most marbles, wins!
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The idea is the same when you ditch the plastic game and add in wheelchairs, brooms, and baskets! Staff members each push a player forward while the resident uses their pole to “eat” the balls on the floor. Judging by the laughter and giggling going on in the room, we’d say the real-life Hungry Hippos game was a smash success!
“Residents really enjoyed playing a new game today Hungry Hippos,” staff wrote on Facebook. “Lots of laughter to lift morale of the team and residents!”
The video has gone viral with close to 2 million views so far.
Facebook
What a fun activity! This is a wonderful way to keep these residents engaged and laughing during a lonely time when they can’t receive any visitors. We could watch them playing this game all day!
Check out the life-sized Hungry Hippos game above, and be sure to share.
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