Residents at a care home in Maidstone celebrated love and marriage with a very special wedding memories exhibition.
The team at Care UK’s Invicta Court created a display of residents’ and team members’ great love stories and wedding days to spark conversations about married life and encourage reminiscence.
On the day, the home was decorated in the style of a wedding reception, complete with balloons, a wedding cake, a special buffet created by the home’s head chef, a wedding dress display and plenty of bubbly – and even a photo booth with fun props.
The exhibition itself was created by team members who carefully collated everyone’s wedding stories and showcased them alongside photographs on displays boards for residents and team members to view.
Throughout the day, everyone was encouraged to share their memories of their own special day, with conversations about how they met their spouses, where their ceremonies took place, and advice they would give for a long and happy marriage.
Resident Ann was married to Kevin for 30 happy years, before he sadly passed away. Ann went on to meet David at a widow’s club, marrying him in 1989, they have now been married 32 years. She said: “Talk to one another, and don’t go to bed on an argument.”
While Barbara, who was married to her husband Jim for over 40 years and had three children together, said: “Consideration of their ideas, don’t steam roller over them.”
Pupils from nearby school, Snowfields Academy have also been involved in the initiative. After initially sending cards to the care home, residents replied with words of kindness and advice for the younger generation.
Jacqui Pompeus, Home Manager at Invicta Court, added: “Every activity and event we organise here at Invicta Court is designed to be meaningful and an essential part of the care we provide. Our wedding exhibition is a fantastic example of using the team and resident’s love stories to help enrich their present. For older people, and those living with dementia, drawing on strong memories can prompt conversations and evoke happy emotions, transporting residents back to memorable moments that are cherished.
“It was heart-warming to hear both colleagues and residents share all the intricate details of their wedding, like the style of the dress, the flowers, and if the sun shone or if it rained – all those incredibly important memories that stay with us no matter our age. Sharing our love stories has certainly brought us all even closer together which is wonderful!”
