Redwalls Nursing Home residents become stars of TikTok

The lively residents of Redwalls Nursing Home in Cheshire are dispelling the notion that TikTok is purely a teenage phenomenon.

For they have been enthralling a growing global audience with their videos that demonstrate the fun, shared laughter and sheer joy you can experience at whatever age.

Activities coordinator Jodie Solaiman has been using TikTok to document daily life at the Kingsley Healthcare home in Sandiway, near Northwich, for the past 12 months.

Videos have captured 101-year-old Grace Emery meeting her great-grandson Xander for the first time, a visit to a local pre-school and the joyful encounters with residents of Miss Solaiman’s dogs Charlie and Floyd.

The latest video showing 96-year-old Vera Gibson and friends having fun on a newly acquired “magic” activities table has quickly clocked up 700,000 views and 109,000 likes.

Mrs Gibson is clearly exhilarated by the table and says: “I’ve never seen anything like it before! It’s wonderful.”

Miss Solaiman, who has now also opened a TikTok account for Park View, Kingsley’s new flagship home in Liverpool, said: “The video about our new activities table has attracted thousands of comments with lots of people saying they want to move into the home themselves!”

Heart-warming comments include the following: @jessicaleonyxoxo：I absolutely love this, more care homes need technology like this for residents. It’s amazing sensory and also improving their mood. 

^{@hannie2992：This is genuinely the nicest, caring care home I’ve ever seen! You should all be so proud!}

^{@rawb3an：This goes to show how wonderful your care home is, what an amazing gift.}

^{@spaghettisoop：I suddenly am the most excited to be old that I have ever been.}

Miss Solaiman said the videos showing Floyd and Charlie demonstrated the power of pet therapy that was shown to have many benefits, such as reducing stress levels, lowering blood pressure, providing companionship and releasing endorphins that can produce a calming effect.

The most popular pet therapy video has so far clocked up 124,000 views and 17,000 likes.

The sentiments of residents regarding Floyd and Charlie are summed by 89-year-old Bob Baker who says: “He’s the loveliest dog I’ve ever seen, he’s so well behaved and gentle. He sometimes sits on my knee and we cuddle.”


Click here to view Redwalls TikTok

Author: Stephen Pullinger