Christmas initatives for Nursing Homes
Wednesday December 16, 2020What: Arabella Voices perform at Cairnhill Nursing Home
Where: Cairnhill Nursing Home, Herbert Rd, Killarney, Bray, Co. Wicklow
When: Saturday 19th December at 3.30pm.
Details: The Arabella Voices choir began life in 2010 as the Friends of Hope Choir, as a way of celebrating the joy of music. Two daughters of residents of Cairnhill Nursing Home perform in the choir. The performance for residents will be staged outdoors within the grounds of the nursing home, while the residents will watch from the confines of the nursing home.
Contact: Brian @ 087 4182014.
What: Home for Christmas with the Discovery Gospel Choir
Where: Online – https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/home-for-christmas-with-discovery-gospel-choir-tickets-127718169483
Details: Discovery Gospel Choir is Ireland’s leading multicultural choir, singing songs of hope from all over the world in over 30 languages and it has a membership that spans 20+ nationalities.
The Home for Christmas concert will feature pre-recorded Christmas favourites, as well as carols and poems from around the world. It promises to be a joyous evening for all.
What: The Christmas Community Spirit delivers gifts to nursing home residents
When: Sunday 20th December
Where: Nursing homes in Lucan Co Dublin – Marymount Care Centre, Griffeen Valley Nursing Home, Lucan Lodge Nursing Home
Details: Volunteer Debi Nevin launched an appeal for people to contribute gifts to nursing home residents. Having received an outstanding response from local people and organisations, a celebratory event will take place at each of the nursing homes for the giving of the gifts. Westside Stage School will be performing and Santa and his elves will be travelling along. Families from the nursing homes are being invited to gather on the grounds for the music and kindness.
Contact: Debi @ 089 6049813
What: Cór Geal Virtual Carol Service
When: Sunday December 20th @ 5pm and 7.30pm
Details: Visit www.corgealchoir.ie.
What: The Everyman Christmas Songbook – Happy Holiday: Christmas with Andy Williams
When: Available to view any time from 14th to 31st December.
Details: Digital concert filmed live from The Everyman stage, the concert is accompanied by a songbook of lyrics to bring together an Andy Williams Christmas classics singalong. Tickets are €15 per household and the show lasts 70 minutes. Further details available here and to view a short promo of the event click here.
What: Order of Malta Shannon Cadets & Friends Christmas Concert
When: The week leading up to Christmas
Details: 30,000 nursing home residents are being invited to a very special Christmas concert. The “Order of Malta Shannon Cadets & Friends Christmas Concert” will be staged in nursing homes across the country this coming week. Young performers from the Order of Malta will perform with household names to bring music, dance and poetry into nursing homes. Mike Hanrahan from Stockton’s Wing, Fr Ray Kelly, the Shannon Gospel Choir, Michael Donnellan from Riverdance and the Kilfenora Céilí Band are taking to the virtual stage with over 12 Order of Malta cadets aged 10 to 16 years of age. The special virtual event will be broadcast in nursing homes across the country in the lead up to Christmas and is the brainchild of Nicole Hennephof, a Cadet Liaison Officer (Volunteer) with the South West Region of Order of Malta.
Contact: Nicole @ 086 3826720
What: 1,000 Postcards from the United States to Nursing Home Residents
When: The month of December
Details: Stars of Hope, the US-based world’s largest healing arts program, has partnered with Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) to send Christmas greetings from the United States to nursing home residents.
Volunteers from the US charity have come together to create 1,000 uniquely different postcards that will be sent to residents in nursing homes across the country to wish them a happy Christmas and express cross-Atlantic solidarity with them. Further details will be announced in the coming days.
Contact: Michael @ 087 9082970 or Kelly Burns, Program Manager of Stars of HOPE: [email protected]
What: Surprise Christmas gifts for thousands of nursing home residents across the country
When: The month of December
Details: Thousands of volunteers have registered for Carepack.ie. The initiative started by Geraldine Monaghan is connecting people who want to give a surprise Christmas gift/greeting to a nursing home resident. Surprise gifts are being distributed to nursing home residents across the country. Each volunteer can avail of An Post offer of free post for cards and small packages to nursing homes this Christmas season. Learn more at carepack.ie
What: The Pen Pal Project
When: The month of December
Details: Over 11,000 people signed up for the Pen Pal project the first week of its inception. The initiative pairs volunteers with nursing home residents as pen pals. Visit the website at penpalproject.ie
What: Comfort Words – Letters in ‘Lockdown’ Initiative between NUIG and Nursing Homes Ireland
When: The month of December
Details: NHI has partnered with the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway, for a letter-writing initiative. First and Third Year BA students will be writing to nursing home residents to introduce themselves to residents in Co Galway nursing homes and express intergenerational solidarity and Christmas wishes during these difficult times.
What: Disney cheer for nursing home residents
When: The month of December
Details: The very kind students from Maynooth University Disney Society have created a magical activity book with colouring pages, crosswords and word searches to bring a sparkle of Disney creativity into our nursing homes this Christmas.
Contact details for further are available from Michael McGlynn, NHI Communications & Research Executive, who can be contacted at 087 9082970.