As people with underlying health conditions and adults over the age of 65 continue to stay at home or in isolation in care facilities, caregivers are called upon to tap into their creativity to keep seniors engaged when so many of their normal activities have been canceled. Activities coordinator Robert Speker at Sydmar Lodge in England where residents have been in lockdown for the past four months is lifting spirits by recreating classic album covers using the residents as models.
Much like the popular trend of recreating classic works of art using household items that took off on social media at the onset of COVID-19 quarantine, Speker has been posting his re-creations of famous album covers alongside their original on Twitter. The project provides a pleasant distraction for residents who have not been able to visit with family or attend group functions to socialize.
Residents posed for many highly detailed recreations of famous album covers including London Calling by The Clash, David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, True Blue by Madonna and Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen. Not only did the residents enjoy creating the covers, their children and grandchildren got a kick out of seeing their loved-ones having a bit of fun posing as famous musicians. Adele replaced by 93-year-old Vera is perfection.
Staff also got in on the act posing together for Queen’s infamous Queen II album released in 1974. Speker chose residents for the recreations based on any small resemblance to the artists and did the makeup, drew on tattoos, and photographed and edited the posts. A manager from Sydmar assisted with hair and makeup as well.
As elderly adults continue to experience social isolation during the pandemic, it’s people like Speker who think out of the box that help to keep up the spirits of our most vulnerable population. He continues to work to maintain a happy and optimistic environment for seniors; he recently took one of the residents swimming for the first time in 20 years, according to an NPR report.
Speker has also organized a campaign to keep the photography project going and raise awareness and funds for dementia care, research, and training for carers.
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