Showcasing Care Home Culture Through CarePool Karaoke

Have you ever heard of Carpool Karaoke?

Probably, given there was a time James Corden seemed literally everywhere!

If you haven’t though, it basically sees him driving a car with a well-known celeb (think Adele, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga etc) where they sing along to the guests’ favourite songs and then have a relaxed chat about life.

The segment appeared on Corden’s US chat show, and it lasted for more than 10 years.

The other week though, it came to an end as the comedian opted to leave the US and head back to the UK full time.

With his last Carpool episode with Adele making headlines around the world we recognised a timely opportunity to put our own spin on things for the care sector.

Dubbed ‘CarePool Karaoke’ – our video team headed to Gabriel Court in Kettering, one of ACI Care’s homes, to film a special version.

This saw us take a mix of residents and carers out for a spin – where they listened to some of their favourite tunes, before telling us a bit about their lives and (for the carers) what they enjoyed about care and why/how they ended up in the job.

This produced some heart-warming footage – with the carers in particular coming out with some lovely contributions as to why they entered the industry.

Turning it into three separate episodes, two focusing on the carers and one focusing on residents, it provided some excellent content for social media, newsletters and the ACI website, while we were also able to PR it.

These PR efforts saw, Dale, one of the carers involved, interviewed live on air by BBC Radio Northampton, the home’s local radio station, during the morning drivetime slot.

Furthermore, it featured in news bulletins throughout the day, with clips of singing residents broadcast across the airwaves.

Given that most care residents are likely to come from locations near the home, it was a prime audience for ACI Care – with the morning rush hour also being the prime time to appear on the radio.

Other local coverage saw the story appear in the Northamptonshire Telegraph, as well as the Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Again, reaching prime local audiences. 

Alongside this, focusing on the carers was all part of making the care industry appear as an attractive sector in which to work – portraying fun and rewarding elements of the day-to-day and thereby helping with recruitment.

This aspect saw several care publications cover the story too, including the likes of The Caring Times, Care Home Professional and The Carer.

On top of this, any carers wanting to know more about the care sector and what’s involved can glean insight from the episodes – and ACI Care can point to them via their YouTube channel as both an explainer and an example of their culture.

Want us to do a similar initiative for you? Just get in touch. We’d love to help.