AIBU to think care homes need more age-appropriate entertainment?

My friend and I were talking about this as we are both in our 60s. I said that if ever I had to go into a care home I hope they played 70s and 80s disco/pop/rock & not Vera Lynn etc. I love to listen to the music of my clubbing years and to some of the current music. An afternoon of the Eagles/Queen/Bon Jovi etc would be fab

Love this!

Look at it from the other side.

Where else can a Scotch accordion band get a captive audience?

Rave Meadows

YANBU it is basic "out of the box" entertainment for old people. It's quite ignorant really.

My mum is 72, and although she liked the boy band shite when I was a kid, she also liked the Shamen and New Order. If she had health problems she could easily be in one of these places and she would HATE war songs. She is very anti war.

Absolutely agree, although I did enjoy a V Day celebration at my friend’s care home last month. DM is in a home & she was only 5 when the 2nd world war ended.

Let me know which Care Home you're in. That's the music I want to hear too!

If l ever go into a Care or Nursing home. I will have my mobile phone fully charged. Stay in my room and tune into YouTube and listen to music, listen to pod casts and watch films all day long.

My dear mother was in a Nursing Home for a number of years and bed bound . She was a lover of Shirley Bassey and the Great American Songbook, Artists and Songs. Which they never seemed to play at their music sessions

They also played loads of awful old stuff including Vera Lynn and War Time music. Which she called Old People's Music.

Totally agree. It's so patronising just playing Vera Lynn etc. And having the TV on constantly. Must be torture for people. Does it make the staff feel better? Fill the silence? Shocking really...

a home near me has a facebook page every week they do different things ,a craft day,a bring in your grandkids day ,this week they were having spa treatments, i know the lady manager ,the staff have worked there years,they do music quizs/it really is a great home,

We had exactly the same experience. My MIL sadly died in her nursing home 7 years ago. She was 69 and her favourite bands were Pink Floyd the Smiths and the Housemartins.

Someone needs to take charge of this in any home. Many of these places are staffed by young Eastern European ladies who know literally nothing about the culture of British people who were young in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

My children are always quite shocked that my 85 year old Mother joins in when we play Cards against humanity. I laugh and tell them her hey day was the "Swinging 60s", nothing can shock Granny. Even though she quite likes to sit back and judge my life!

I worked in care most of my life. You're right, the music and themes need to move with the times!

Ive had exactly the same thoughts. My mum was born on d-day. War songs are way too old. 1950’s / 60’s rock would be much more appropriate. Elvis... Cliff richard… Dolly Parton is always age appropriate. The beatles. Tammy wynette. The supremes.

@exaltedwombat my DM loves music from the musicals

I like music from before I was born, so things like the Beatles and other 60s music

I can sing along to war time songs even though they are obviously before my time.

Obviously, it is good to have a mixture but I think some posters maybe slightly naive on how they may be if they end up in a care home and what they will want.

There is nothing to stop OP’s family from providing music etc for MIL

A popular singing group in this area who go to various country shows, fairs, events etc have a style like the Andrews Sisters but sing songs across the ages.

That's fine, but it's just the assumption that anyone born mid 1960s and before WANTS to listen to music from the 1940s and 1950s that's annoying. I don't dislike music from a decade or more before I was born, but I don't want to listen to it, I want to listen to music from the 1970s and after.

Keep the Faith and I'll see you there✊

Yes it’s a problem but remember much of the entertainment is by volunteers, some of which have been doing it for years when that was the preferred music. I know a young lady musician who has a weekly “gig” at a local care home to me (paid) and they are all deeply into heavy metal apparently, she had us in stitches telling us about their musical requests and choice of clothes, several are full on goth!

It scares me that I will end up somewhere like that, my kids will try their hardest but if it’s not available then I’ll be stuck in my mother in law’s era. I do think it’s laziness on behalf of the care homes, they like the formula and won’t shift. And charge a King’s ransom for it.

ps. if I go into a care home, I need heavy metal!!

I totally agree. Same for day centre’s. Those going rocked the 50’s & 60’s. Rock n roll, Beatles, Stones etc.

seriously needs addressing

Likewise better be Northern on or there'll be trouble😁
Stick the white cliffs of Dover

I do a lot of this sort of entertainment. Currently, the most popular offerings seem to be show tunes (My Fair Lady, Sound of Music, Fiddler, Les Mis. etc.) and ‘Songs from the 60s’. A Gilbert & Sullivan selection goes down very well too.

Tbf I was born in 1995 and of course I want to listen to things from prior to 1985 (a decade before I was born). The world before you were born doesn’t cease to be of any interest it’s just vintage… I still listen to music from all kinds of eras. Imagine if everyone my age ignored the entirety of rock n roll, reggae, punk, ska etc

They had eaten other foods like curry or pasta happily as they got older, but my patients all had advanced Dementia, they wanted the foods of their childhood, but the cook still tried to change it up and anything that was taken well was added to his rotation. They did love Roast dinners, fish not the chip shop kind, cottage pies, anything like that.
Puddings were always a hit. Any cakes, ice creams, things like that.