There was laughter, singing and sharing of stories from Melbourne aged care residents who found themselves part of the action in Forever Young, a groundbreaking puppetry program bringing joy to older people in aged care settings.
In a Victorian first, Uniting AgeWell hosted internationally celebrated theatre company Terrapin, to perform Forever Young at five of its residential aged care facilities in December.
This follows Terrapin’s premier tour in Tasmania earlier in the year, which received rave reviews from hundreds of aged care residents, including those living with Uniting AgeWell.
The full-day puppetry performances include a show, one-on-one bedside visits and spontaneous interactions by three artists with deep experience in puppetry, aged care and therapeutic delivery. Their aim is simple: to spark joy, engagement and trigger reminiscence. Terrapin developed the Forever Young: Puppetry in Aged Care program over several years, working in collaboration with older audiences, aged care staff and the University of Tasmania.
Uniting AgeWell is the Founding Industry Partner of Forever Young, lending support and specialist expertise to the project. Residents from Uniting AgeWell Mornington Community Lillian Martin in Tasmania participated in workshops with Terrapin last year helping to develop the program. They did this by tapping into their collective memories to create a bespoke experience that resonates with older people.
And it does! You certainly don’t need text book knowledge to have been able to measure the residents’ laughter or the width of their smiles as they became immersed in a magical puppetry world during the tour across Uniting AgeWell’s residential aged care communities this week.
The Forever Young roaming puppeteers came for a one-on-one visit to a few residents’ rooms, bringing the magic with them.
One resident, Kath McMillan, was enchanted when Scaredy cat came to visit, rubbing its tummy and saying “aren’t you lovely?” She shared memories about her cat Patchy, who lived to 21.
Meanwhile retired hairdresser Kitty Nancarrow was transported back to the pride she still has in her career, when she met up with the wild-looking Ovo who has the beak of an owl, caterpillar legs and the feathers of an emu. “You’re gorgeous!” she told him, playing with his hair. “Now how to get rid of that dandruff?” she joked.
Frank Webster enjoyed trying to teaching Ovo how to whistle and reminisced about his days as a plumber, laughing that it would be pretty useful to have as many hands as the puppet.
And Michael Parsons enjoyed bantering with Ovo about good looks. “Come on” he urged the puppet, after being told by Terrapin actor Brett Rogers that Ovo was learning how to shake hands.
Another resident, Irene Newman, was delighted to meet baby Sunshine in her room. “The baby looks very life-like!” she said.
Terrapin program manager Dannielle Jackson says, “Residents interact with puppets in ways they won’t necessarily interact with other people entering a private world in which the rest of the setting disappears.”
Uniting AgeWell Chief Executive Officer Andrew Kinnersly says the organisation is committed to improving quality of life outcomes for older people through investment in innovative lifestyle programs that bring joy and support community connection.
Terrapin will deliver an extensive Tasmanian tour of Forever Young in 2024, and plans to expand the program to Victoria in future years.