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Pembroke hockey players bring the game to nursing home residents

The Patriot Ledger - 10/18/2021

PEMBROKE — A group of Pembroke street hockey players took their sticks and nets to the parking lot of a Pembroke nursing home for patients with Alzheimer's and dementia to play a friendly scrimmage Sunday.

Parent Kara Perkins, who works as an activity director at Alliance Healthcare in Braintree, organized the match after she was approached by a Braintree team about putting on a game for her nursing home's residents. COVID-19 restrictions scrambled the original plans, but that initial conversation planted the seed of an idea.

Perkins said it was a great way to introduce the children to volunteering and get them outside on a warm and sunny Sunday, and a nice activity for the residents at the Bridges by Epoch nursing home in Pembroke.

Bridges by Epoch's life enrichment director, Irene Dossantos, said she was completely on board with the idea when Perkins suggested it.

Residents lined up on the sidewalk and followed the ball moving up and down the makeshift rink in the parking lot.

"They're all focused in," Dossantos said.

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The pandemic made many activities, including field trips, inaccessible, she said. Bringing an activity to residents was a nice thing to do, she said.

Coach Mike Evans, of Pembroke, said the team has had little interaction outside practices and games, and the teammates haven't been given much opportunity to bond. Parents sign their children up for hockey for the experience, the team building and lifelong friendships, not so they will become professional players, he said.

Charlie Evans, 13, of Pembroke, said it was a relief just to be outside the house, but he did not know what to expect when his coaches said they were going to play at a nursing home.

For Conor Powers, 12, of East Bridgewater, getting to play was especially nice since he does not go to the same school as the rest of his teammates and rarely sees them outside practice and games.

Noah Perkins, 13, of Pembroke, said it was fun to play without masks.

Goalie Russell Stevens, 53, of Pembroke, filled in on the rink until one of his sons took over. He said it was a great opportunity for the children, and helped him remember what it's like to play hockey.

"I'm a little out of shape, but I'll do anything to help out. It's good fun for me and I'm sure the kids have fun whacking balls off me," he said.

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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@patriotledger.com.

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