Aylesbury care home residents go viral after transforming into Taylor Swift

Ahead of the much-anticipated Eras Tour this summer, the UK's "Senior Swifties"—who have an average age of 87—have come together to recreate the singer's most famous album covers, proving age is no barrier to the power of music.

Working in partnership with care home marketplaceLottie,Bartlett’s Residential Care Home residents inAylesbury recreated their favourite Taylor Swift cover. These include 91-year-old Elizabeth, Beryl (95) and Jill (86), inspired by Taylor's re-recorded – Taylor’s Version albums- Speak Now, Red and 1989.

Residents aged between 80 and 95 have re-created five of Taylor Swift's most famous album covers:

● Carol, 80 years old, recreated Midnight

● Janet,79 years old, recreated Lover

● Elizabeth, 91 years old, recreated Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)

● Jill, 86 years old, recreated 1989 (Taylor’s Version)

● Beryl, 95 years old, recreated Red (Taylor’s Version)

Listening and engaging with music can help those living with dementia communicate, stay connected to others, and spark memories of joy and happiness.

By analysing the beats per minute (tempo) of each of Taylor Swift's songs, Lottie created the ultimate dementia-friendly Taylor Swift playlist to help Bartlett’s Care Home residents host their Eras Tour concert, where they exchanged ‘Swiftie Friendship Bracelets’ and danced to Swift's biggest hits. To many residents' surprise, they were joined by a life-size cut-out of Taylor Swift!

"The best dementia-friendly music has a moderate tempo, with a range of 80 to 120 beats per minute - beats per minute is a way to count the speed of a song”, shares Chris Donnelly, Co-Founder of care home marketplace Lottie.

“To create the best Taylor Swift playlist for dementia, we’ve analysed the beats per minute of her songs across every album. With an average of 101 beats per minute, we’ve created the ultimate dementia-friendly Era’s Tour playlist.

Our playlist features 30 songs and over 2 hours of music, including some of Swift’s most popular hits, including Love Story, 22, and music from her latest album release, The Tortured Poets Department”, concludes Chris Donnelly.

Bartlett's biggest Taylor Swift fan, Carol (80 years old), was very excited to recreate the cover of the Midnights album.

Carol loves Taylor Swift's outfits, especially her sparkly Eras Tour costumes, and shared, “I wish I could wear outfits like Taylor Swift every day”.

Elizabeth (91) opted to recreate the cover of the Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) album.

Elizabeth enjoyed the photoshoot and shared, “I’m excited to send my photo to family members in Australia to show them what I’ve been up to.”

Music enthusiast Janet (79) likes Taylor Swift's music and shared, “it’s hard to pick a favourite.”

Janet recreated the album cover for Lover and enjoyed wearing sparkly love hearts on her face, which she kept on for the rest of the day. Janet shared, “I’ve loved being pampered. It’s been such a great day to watch everyone pick a photo to recreate.”

86-year-old Jill chose to recreate Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor Version) album cover.

Jill was joined by her daughter Lyn, who helped her pick out an album cover to recreate. Lyn shared that her favourite Taylor Swift song is “Shake it Off”, and she “enjoyed helping mum pick out an album to recreate. I’m very excited to see the final results.”

Chris Donnelly, Co-Founder atLottie, who organised the activity for residents, shared:

“The residents at Bartlett’s Care Home are a true example of proving that age is no barrier to celebrating the magic of music.

Partnering with Bartlett’s Residential Care Home has been great to host this activity. Our vision behind the Senior Swifties project was to debunk common misconceptions of care through music and show everyone that care homes can be the start of a new and fulfilling chapter in life.

We’re so pleased to have brought the Eras Tour to the extraordinary ladies at Bartlett’s Care Home. Music has many health and wellbeing benefits, especially for those with dementia or in a care setting. Listening and engaging with music can help someone living with dementia communicate, stay connected to others, and spark memories of joy and happiness.

Over the last 12 months, we’ve seen a 400% surge in demand for elderly dementia care*, and our vision in bringing the Eras Tour to care home residents is to raise much-needed awareness of the support available for those with dementia. Many care homes across the country provide music therapy, and we’re so proud we’ve added a new twist to this popular activity by bringing different generations together to celebrate the power of music.”

Kavita Salhotra, People Innovation Manager at Bartlett's Care Home shared:

“Our mission is to provide exceptional, personalised care that enhances the quality of life for our residents. This project embodies our commitment to putting residents at the heart of everything we do. Celebrating their interests and passions ensures that each resident feels valued, engaged, and fulfilled. Our residents' joy in recreating Taylor Swift's album covers is a testament to our dedication to creating a vibrant and supportive community. We take pride in leading initiatives that enrich our residents' lives. Our role in facilitating the Swifties project highlights our proactive approach to resident engagement and innovative care. This collaboration with Lottie underscores our commitment to offering unique, enjoyable activities that bring joy and create lasting memories for our residents.

Bartlett’s Residential Care Home consistently strives to provide innovative and enriching activities for our residents. Our recent project to recreate Taylor Swift’s album covers is just one example of our dynamic approach to resident engagement. We regularly host community and intergenerational events that foster meaningful connections between our residents and the broader community. For example, hosting visits from a local primary school -Green Ridge Academy. These activities enhance the wellbeing of our residents and strengthen our bonds with the community, ensuring a vibrant, inclusive environment for all.”