An 85-year-old resident at a care home in Epping was surprised by a special evening to celebrate her heritage and culture earlier this month.
Joanna Christodoulou, who lived at Weald Hall care home, part of Premium care group, enjoyed an evening of Greek decor, dancing, music, food and traditions along with her family and friends.
The home was decorated with Greek-themed decor and Greek food was laid out for everyone to enjoy.
The evening started off with a performance by a talented belly dancer, followed by a musical performance by a local Greek musician and ended with traditional Greek plate smashing.
Joanna enjoyed the evening and said to her daughter, Alix: “Make sure you tell everyone this will be an evening I will remember forever.”
She spent the evening singing and dancing along to the music and reminiscing with her family about all the times they had danced together.
Everyone at the care home joined in the celebrations on the day and a few of the residents also helped in moulding the plates a few days prior to the event.
Joanna has sadly passed away since but had happy memories of the day.
The evening was organised by Charlie and Leigh, part of the lifestyle team at Weald Hall, as the first of many around the world themed nights for the residents.
Home manager Danielle Barham said: “At Weald Hall, we make sure that our residents are not only cared for but that they also enjoy their time with us.
It was lovely to see Joanna reliving old memories and enjoying her culture with her family and friends. It’s moments like these that make our efforts worth it!”
This cultural night for Joanna was part of the care home’s Magic Moment scheme which was started by the home’s lifestyle team and aims to enrich the lives of residents with meaningful activities or one-of-a-kind events and experiences.
Weald Hall Care Home, part of the Premium Care Group, offers residential and dementia care, as well as various day care packages. Within the recently refurbished home, residents have access to many facilities including a bakery, cinema room, sensory room, hair salon and large landscaped garden.
