Laughter echoed throughout the Bupa Bankstown aged care home as Wanderers Josh Risdon, Marc Tokich, Jaushua Sotiro and Daniel Nijic lifted the spirits of residents.
Laughter echoed throughout the Bupa Bankstown aged care home as Wanderers Josh Risdon, Marc Tokich, Jaushua Sotiro and Daniel Nijic lifted the spirits of residents.
Over the weekend, the boys visited Bupa Aged Care in Bankstown and bringing with them a version of the club’s inflatable field that is suited to the residents who are a little less mobile.
Wanderers defender, Josh Risdon, said getting older does not mean you have to stop doing the things you love.
“It’s always a great feeling anytime you can come into an aged care home and talk to fans, reach out and kick a ball with them. You never know, it might change their life, hopefully for the better,” Risdon said.
Laughter echoed throughout the courtyard as Risdon, Marc Tokich, Jaushua Sotiro and Daniel Nijic lifted the spirits of residents and brought derby cheer to the home.
“Football Darts is a mashup of football and darts. We usually have these outside our games for our fans to play with,” continued Risdon.
“The idea is that you kick a velcro covered ball against the inflatable dartboard, its as simple as that but words really can’t express how much joy the day brought to people at Bupa Bankstown.”
The home’s General Manager, Sirjana Kc said the initiative is new but gave residents the opportunity to exercise and have fun at the same time.
“When you get older, the speed of the game is a little bit too fast, so the inflatable target and visit from the Western Sydney Wanderers has slowed it down and made it both fun and engaging for our residents,” Mrs Kc said.
James McLaren who is a resident at the home and used to play the game since he was young said the social element of the sport was great for a laugh and brought back many memories.
“Once the ball is rolling, everyone just forgets about everything else that’s happening and we get on with it and just have fun,” Mr McLaren said.
“What I really missed about sport was the conversation and camaraderie – this visit from the Wanderers brought all that back,” he said.
