The International Older Persons Day took place on the 1st of October for the 75th year running. This day celebrates the contribution of Older People in society and raised awareness of their needs including healthy aging. Silver Sunday also took place on the 4th October and this annual event encourages the nation to think about older people and highlights the loneliness that many older people experience.
The team at Cygnet Hospital Taunton marked International Day of Older Persons and Silver Sunday by holding a number of activities, all of which were organised by service users and staff from the hospital’s older adults service, Swift Ward.
The first event was a Retro Party. Service users and staff from across the hospital were invited to take part and were encouraged to share traditional games, memories and sweets. An afternoon tea was also held to give people of different ages from across the hospital the opportunity to socialise.
The service users and staff of Swift Ward also launched the new Cygnet Hospital Taunton newsletter, The Taunton Express which they hope to co-produce with other services in the hospital in the future.