Brisbane Retirement Community Gets Creative During Lockdown

From roving entertainers to balcony exercises and pavement line dancing, residents at Wesley Mission Queensland’s Wheller on The Park retirement community, located in Chermside in Brisbane, have had plenty to keep them busy during the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Carrie Woods, Social Coordinator at Wheller on the Park, which is home to 450 independent living residents, said staff and residents worked hard to put together a creative and innovative program for the residents.

“We normally have 40 social clubs operating across the community at any one time, so those first few weeks of lockdown were very challenging for our residents.

“Our timetable included balcony exercises three times a week, our resident poet reciting poems, residents leading mobile singalongs, roving professional performers sponsored by our Social Committee, and we even had two violinists from the Queensland Symphony Orchestra perform for us which was very special,” Ms Woods said.

“Residents also initiated their own activities too like ‘Happy Hour’ each afternoon with residents chatting with each other across the balconies and the ‘Friendship Lights’ with residents switching on the balcony light each Sunday night at 5:30pm.”

Staff at Wheller on the Park also organised a local fruit and vegetable supplier and a butcher to bring fresh produce into the community each week and a local doctor even visited residents to deliver the annual flu vaccination.

Resident Beryl Toohey said staff and residents had put in a lot of effort to keep the community connected during COVID-19 crisis.

“I loved the balcony exercises and the daily sing-along, and our roaming poet was just wonderful. And the puzzles and crosswords and colouring activities were very calming and helped to keep my mind off the lockdown,” Mrs Toohey said.

Ms Woods said feedback on the lockdown activities had been so positive, many would continue even once restrictions were eased.

“Our residents are definitely looking forward to getting back to their social groups and outings, but activities like balcony exercises and roving performances have proved so popular they are likely to become a regular feature of our program at Wheller on the Park,” Ms Woods said.

Find out more about Wesley Mission Queensland.