When residents at Enliven’s Kowhainui Home gather for a movie or for happy hour, one of the drinks on offer is home-made ginger beer.
Residents started making the fizzy drink earlier this year after diversional therapy team leader, Frances, looked up the recipe.
“We make it in one day,” she explains.
“We set up a production line of people chopping ginger, juicing lemons, measuring the sugar and the water.
“We made the syrup then added it to the water and then we bottled it.”
The next important part of the process is releasing the pressure from the bottles while the ginger beer ferments to avoid any potential eruptions.
Once the ginger beer is ready, it needs to be consumed within a few weeks while it is at its most delicious.
Frances says the ginger beer provides another non-alcoholic option for residents to choose from during happy hour, or to enjoy when they’re watching a movie together.
Activities such as these align with Enliven’s philosophy of care, which follows the Eden Alternative.
Frances says including residents in making ginger beer helps to avoid the feelings of loneliness, helplessness and boredom which can be common in elders.
She says while they were making ginger beer many of the residents were able to reminisce about their memories of making the drink when they were younger.
“They spoke about their memories of making it when they were young, or talked about how their parents used to make it.
“Of course there were different opinions on the best way to make it!”
Enliven’s Kowhainui Home and Villages in Otamatea offers independent retirement living, rest home and hospital level care, as well as short-term respite, health recovery care and an engaging day programme. For more information call the friendly team on 06 349 1400
