Guldmann donation brought the celebrations to Husumvej Care Home

With just 21 residents, Husumvej Care Home is the smallest municipal care home in Aarhus. Recently, it hosted a lively harvest party filled with music and dancing, thanks to a donation from Guldmann that made it possible to bring in entertainment from Riis & MeloDivaerne.

Unfortunately, the small care home’s budget does not allow much room for entertainment and special experiences. This year’s harvest party was therefore looking likely to be a rather quiet affair until care assistant Malene Kildall Viktor took matters into her own hands and applied to Guldmann for support.

Her initiative was greatly appreciated by care home manager Christel Nyland:

"We really want to create enjoyable moments for our residents and give them experiences beyond their everyday care, but unfortunately, there is no room for this in our budget. That’s why I was so pleased that Malene took the initiative and applied for support. It has been wonderful to have the opportunity to use this donation to treat our residents to something special."

Pictured here from left to right:

Care assistant Malene Kildall Viktor, Guldmann Country Manager Denmark Karin Lund Sant, and care home manager Christel Nyland >>

Beautiful singing and plenty of humour

MeloDivaerne have their roots in Odder. They describe their performance as a musical theatre show combining sing-alongs, beautiful singing, humour and short theatrical sketches. Their repertoire ranges from timeless classics to more recent hits, and they regularly perform at care homes and residential care facilities. Dressed in elegant, festive gowns and eye-catching hats, they move among the audience as they sing.

This was not MeloDivaerne’s first visit to Husumvej. They had performed at the care home several years earlier, so Malene had no doubt about who should provide the entertainment for this year’s harvest party.

The party took place in early October and brought together residents, relatives and staff. The evening began with dinner, followed by two acts of singing and dancing from MeloDivaerne, with dessert served during the interval. The familiar songs and entertaining performances soon had residents and staff in high spirits, with several taking to the dance floor during the evening.

Fittingly, the celebrations ended with Johnny Reimar’s "Sikke'n fest" ("What a Party").

The enthusiasm was clear to see in 92-year-old resident Orla Johannesen. His eyes lit up as he talked about the evening:
"There was excitement right from the start. The musician did a great job. It was good, familiar music. He started gently, and then the lively singing ladies came in."
The word "excitement" comes up again and again as Orla talks about the evening. He is a little reluctant to admit that he joined in the dancing himself. He did get up for a dance, but not for very long, he says. Photos from the evening, however, show Orla giving it his all on the dance floor, with his walker parked to one side.
Orla’s family had travelled all the way from Copenhagen to join the celebrations, and they were just as enthusiastic.
Orla warmly thanks Guldmann for the donation and has no doubt:
"The money was very well spent. It was worth every penny. The others also think it was the best event they have been to here at the care home."
Malene Kildall Viktor also explains how much the event meant:
"It was simply wonderful to see how much the residents enjoyed themselves. Being able to give them this experience meant so much."
At Guldmann, we are proud and delighted to have helped give the residents of Husumvej Care Home a wonderful evening filled with life, music and joy.