One in a MILLION!
This week, we’re celebrating the heartfelt work of Kirsty Bagan, 39, from Glasgow. She said…
Inhaling deeply, the care home residents copied me. Then, as we all exhaled, they burst out laughing. You see, I was leading a laughter yoga class at the local care home in East Kilbride as an activity coordinator.
At first, we were all forcing ourselves to chuckle in line with the breathing exercises.
But before long, we were all laughing hysterically.
I loved spreading joy to the residents from doing something so simple.
And it came so naturally to me, too.
Originally coming from an entertainment background, working for Haven Holidays, I’d toured schools and care homes across Scotland, putting on pantos and theatre productions, too.
Back in 2015, I stepped into the role of Fairy Lily in a production of Mother Goose.
As I sang the words to What A Wonderful World during a care home performance, the smiles of the residents really resonated with me.
From there, I knew that I wanted to keep on spreading joy within a care home setting.
While the residents couldn’t get out and about to the theatre, I could bring the fun to them instead.
Plus, I wanted to work closer to home so I could spend quality time with my daughter Frankie, five.
So, I looked for my next opportunity. And instantly, an activity co-ordinator role at Sanctuary Care, a care home five minutes away from me, caught my eye.
And a few months later, in November 2021, I started my new role.
Immediately, I got stuck in with planning new activities, from garden centre visits and scrummy pub lunches.
But for me, my biggest highlight was welcoming the BBC through the care home doors last year – some of our residents even appeared on the show Scotland Sings, too!
I was so full of pride, seeing Sanctuary Care featured on the telly.
And even more so when all the fun experiences I planned made a big difference.
‘Mum was so lonely when she first went into the home,’ one relative said. ‘But now, she’s come out of her shell.’
That comment meant more than the world to me.
And in November last year, I was nominated for the Care Newcomer Award as part of the National Care Awards by my manager Annie.
Heading to the ceremony, I couldn’t believe it was all real.
And when Kate Garroway handed me the winning award, I was gobsmacked.
To think that I’ve made such a huge difference to the residents’ lives in such a short time span is just incredible.
And it just goes to show that having a good giggle can go such a long way.
● Visit: sanctuary-care.co.uk
I brought the fun to them instead