Celebrating the King at Chestnut Lodge

Elvis Presley fans living at Chestnut Lodge in Yeovil marked the 90th anniversary of his birthday on 8 January with a day of Elvis-themed fun and games.

Jane Davey, who is part of the activities team at the home, said: “Many of our residents were huge fans of the King back in the day, and although it’s now 47 years since his death, his music lives on and so does their love for him.

“Because musical memories fade much more slowly than others, dementia won’t necessarily impair someone’s recollection of songs from their youth, and in fact many of our ladies and gents sang along confidently to favourite ballads like Love me tender and It’s now or never, as well as belters like Blue Suede Shoes and All Shook Up.

“And those who could, enjoyed some dancing too!”

The activities team created Elvis masks which Jane said caused much amusement, and residents also enjoyed looking at old photos of Elvis and having a go at playing the guitar.

Jane Davey said: “It’s astonishing how well they remember the lyrics of songs from their youth, even when their short-term memory is quite severely impacted by dementia, which is why music-themed events like Elvis Day are so popular.”

Because of this, Chestnut Lodge residents regularly enjoy performances from a variety of local musicians.

“Singer Jan McNeill brought her show full of old favourites at Christmas, and the Happy Pluckers had residents’ toes tapping too,” said Jane.

“Joe Bampton of ‘Time Flies’ comes along with his guitar, and we join in with songs made famous by singers like Sinatra, Glen Campbell, Cliff Richard – and of course Elvis himself.”

Another regular, Jaine Thorne, bills her ‘Sing Something Simple’ sessions as ‘a musical interlude’ designed to re-introduce people to a selection of radio/tv theme tunes, film stars, songs, nursery rhymes, news items and events from the past specifically chosen to stimulate audience participation.