Birthday celebrations provide an opportunity to honour elderly clients and let them know they are appreciated and valued.
It is important to remember that birthdays are all about what the client wants and not what we want. We fuss over those that like a fuss, and quietly congratulate those that don’t. This is precisely the reason why our Events Co-ordinator works hard to get to know our clients and build a relationship with them with a name to get to know each one’s likes and dislikes. We firmly believe that care should be tailored to a client’s needs and the same principles is borne in mind when organising events of this nature.
In order to ensure that birthday dates are not missed, we capture this information on admission at front desk. This info is shared with Kitchen Staff and Events Co-ordinator, who together make the necessary birthday preparations. The latter takes care of the birthday decorations and setting up with housekeeping team and buys the clients birthday cards which are also signed by the team members at the care home, whereas our kitchen staff are the ones preparing the birthday cake and/or high tea when we celebrate more than one birthday when birthday dates at times coincide.
For some families, celebrating the birthday of a loved one living in long term care is an opportunity to gather the family together. In such instances our Events Co-ordinator is always willing to support and assist families with their plans in any way she can.
For milestone birthdays eg : reaching 100 years of age, or special 50th Anniversary, we tend to plan bigger celebrations assuming the client agrees. The client’s energy level and health are always considered when planning such celebrations
