An aged care home on the east coast that went viral with a Christmas Grinch video has earned national recognition for the holiday stunt.
May Shaw Health Centre staff brought the Grinch to life in December last year, filming him racing around the Swansea facility, greeting and hugging ecstatic elderly residents.
Chief executive Fiona Onslow-Agnew said the team was surprised to see the video, which became the “talk of the town and beyond”, rack up over 19,000 views.
“The whole community became involved with much speculation about who the Grinch was and the residents just loved it and enjoyed it. Their families were engaged as well,” she said.
“It’s also a lot of fun for our staff, they really embraced it.”
The team’s success has now extended beyond local borders, with their lifestyle and leisure team being named a national finalist in the Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) Excellence Awards in the Team Innovation category.
ACCPA CEO Tom Symondson praised the team for their creativity and innovation and said it helped provide community education to destigmatise aged care.
“Their talent and dedication have made a lasting impact, turning a simple idea into a viral sensation,” he said.
When asked if the Grinch will be making a return visit this year, Onslow-Agnew said: “I would suspect he may make an appearance.”
“I think there’s a stigma about coming into aged care and it’s really created a different conversation about what happens in our facility and how our staff engage with residents.”
