Care home residents have found a way round having to miss the Tokyo Olympics that would have been staged this week but have been scratched by the global pandemic.
The folk at Bethnal Green’s Silk Court are competing with other care homes across the country in a “summer of sport” to pull in the trophies.
“Who needs Tokyo?” said 71-year-old Duncan May, who’s lived at Silk Court for nine years. “Silk Court will bring home the medals.”
They’ve been taking on daily one-minute sporting challenges all this week in basketball, cricket, football, table tennis, golf and rugby with equipment specially adapted for those with dementia to take part.
Silk Court’s manager Renae Dixon said: “They’ve been disappointed that sports events have been cancelled due to the pandemic, so we decided to hold our own tournaments instead, to exercise bodies and minds and doing meaningful activities.”
The “summer of sport” organised by the Anchor not-for-profit care home group ends Sunday with a closing ceremony awarding trophies.
A special “tryathlon” is also being suggested by Silk Court for the residents’ families to do at home, such as milk carton weightlifting, toilet roll keepie-uppies and tea bag target practice!
Any videos of the home events posted on social media can be turned into an epic montage for the residents to watch later.
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