The May Shaw Health Centre team in Swansea brought the Grinch to life when staff filmed the Grinch arriving at the aged care home to become a resident.

In the video, the Grinch (who’s exact identity remains a well-kept secret) visits residents and has the audacity to steal a computer!

May Shaw Health Centre Chief Executive Fiona Onslow-Agnew said the team was surprised when the video became the talk of the town and beyond, quickly amassing 19,000 views.

“The whole community became involved with much speculation about who the Grinch was. And the residents just loved it and enjoyed it, and their families were engaged as well,” Ms Onslow-Agnew said.

Their lifestyle and leisure team have now been named a national finalist in the Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) Excellence Awards (Team Innovation category) with the winners to be announced on 7 August – Aged Care Employee Day.

“It engaged the whole community, became quite popular and staff did another series of videos in my office. The Grinch even visited a local doctor,” Ms Onslow-Agnew said.

ACCPA CEO Tom Symondson said it was wonderful to see aged care communities having so much fun.

“Congratulations must go to the entire team. Their creativity and enthusiasm has not only brought joy to the older people in their care but they have also captured the hearts of their whole community,” he said.

“Their talent and dedication have made a lasting impact, turning a simple idea into a viral sensation.”

The campaign began as a way to engage with the wider community and for family members to see how much fun residents were having. The video also provided much-needed community education helping to destigmatize aged care.

So, will the Grinch be making a return visit?

“I would suspect he may make an appearance this year. I think there’s a stigma about coming into aged care and it’s really created a different conversation about what happens in our facility and how our staff engage with residents.

“It’s also a lot of fun for our staff as well - they really embraced it.”

The team hopes their innovative approach can inspire other aged care teams to find creative ways to bring joy to residents, families, staff and their communities.

The Grinch Video can be viewed on the May Shaw Health and Aged Care’s Instagram and on May Shaw’s Facebook reels.