Sydmar Lodge Care Home, located in Edgware, has been closed since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. So Robert Speker, the house’s activities coordinator, said he had to think outside the box to maintain residents’ morale.
He decided to do a photo shoot with the residents, where they recreated the album covers of popular artists like Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Adele and Madonna.
“I’ve had the idea for a while and thought residents would really enjoy the activity,” Speker told CNN.
Speker said his sole goal was to demonstrate that care homes can be a place of joy rather than sadness, even during a pandemic. I wanted to create something that would make someone smile.
“I made suggestions for which albums and which resident best suited the look, or had a vague similarity to the artist, then proposed the idea to each resident,” he said.
He also considered the requests.
For example, Sheila, a 93-year-old resident, requested to make the cover of Rag’n’Bone Man’s “Human” album, as she met the lead singer in person. The album next to your photo is a signed copy that belongs to you.
All residents were happy to participate, even though they weren’t quite sure what the end product would be, Speker said.
“Everyone found it so funny,” he said of the reaction from residents who participated in the project. “They loved seeing themselves and their fellow residents and they were really laughing at that, which was very nice to see.”
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