Resthaven residents flew first class to Italy from the comfort of their own chairs for the latest instalment of “armchair travel”.
Despite COVID-19 restrictions and the difficulty of travelling, residents got to experience the sights, sounds and scenes of Italy – all without leaving home.
For some it was their first time discovering the country or the closest they would get, but for others it was a chance to reminisce on travelling days past.
The initiative has given residents the opportunity to travel all over the world, exploring over 10 different countries.
Residents are handed boarding passes and passports to enter the session before watching videos on the allocated country and reading the handout.
The facility’s lifestyle team dress in clothes relevant to each country and hand out food sourced from the culture being studied.
Resthaven lifestyle coordinator Sue Wijewardena said staff tried to give residents the opportunity to travel the world and experience different cultures while remaining in their comfort zone.
“We make sure they still get to see the world even though they are not able to physically go out there,” she said.
“For residents like Judy Sutherland it gives them the opportunity to relive memories they have of the past.”
Mrs Sutherland said her favourite armchair travel destinations have been the Netherlands and Germany.
Mrs Sutherland was born in the Netherlands and so “travelling” to the Netherlands and Germany gave her the chance to reminisce on her childhood when she and a friend would ride from Germany to Holland on their bikes in the 1950s.
While Mrs Sutherland missed out on the group journey to Holland due to health issues, Resthaven staff made sure she still had the full experience by providing her with a screen in her room to view the videos while delivering her Dutch food.
“The staff here are amazing, they do all sorts of stuff for us,” Mrs Sutherland said.
“I was crying tears of joy.”
Mrs Wijewardena said Mrs Sutherland has enjoyed the event.
“She was really proud and happy to be a part of it, talking proudly about how she spent her childhood times in the Netherlands and sharing cultural dresses and native display items,” she said.
“It was sad she could not make it, but it was the least we could do.”
