Gladstone & Boyne Island Adopt a Grandparent Spreads Christmas Cheer

Elderly residents of nursing homes and aged-care facilities in Gladstone and Boyne Island will have some extra special visitors this Christmas.  Adopt-A-Grandparent Gladstone was started in 2013 by local, Nicole Allison. Nicole said she had been donating to other Christmas Drives for years and she was seeking a more personalised approach. “It also always seemed that the elderly were the ones forgotten about at this time of year,” she said.  

Nicole approached the Edenvale Aged Care facility and they were keen to be involved, since then the Christmas cheer has spread to Boyne Island with Bindaree Lodge also taking part. “The nursing homes provide us with a list of residents and a bit of info about them and what they might need or like for Christmas.  Local families are then encouraged to ‘adopt’ a grandparent, purchase them a small gift and come along in the week of Christmas to give them the gift and spend some time with them,” Nicole explained. “The kids love it, the residents love it, and we’ve even had a few dogs attend as well.”