{"id":112323,"date":"2025-05-18T18:10:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T18:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/112323\/"},"modified":"2025-05-18T18:10:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T18:10:09","slug":"im-77-but-rose-ayling-ellis-experiment-has-turned-me-into-a-big-kid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/112323\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019m 77 but Rose Ayling-Ellis\u2019 experiment has turned me into a big kid\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Signs
\n\t\tRose Ayling-Ellis is on a mission to tackle loneliness in the elderly (Picture: BBC\/Rogan Productions\/Ricky Darko)<\/p>\n

Many of the residents at the Hughenden Gardens Retirement Village -the eldest being 95 \u2013 thought there was a hard limit to what they could do<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But then a ground-breaking experiment with actress Rose Ayling-Ellis<\/a> at the helm has changed everything for them.<\/p>\n

Not only have the OAPs\u2019 opinions of themselves rapidly shifted, but their experience has the potential to smash the general public\u2019s stereotypes about what the elderly are capable of doing with ease.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This has all been achieved by doing one thing \u2013 learning British Sign Language (BSL)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The retirees were willing guinea pigs for an ambitious new scheme thought up by Rose<\/a>, who has long believed that BSL has the power to positively improve the quality of life of the older population<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To test her theory, she started with Hughenden Gardens, with the plan to eventually make BSL lessons accessible for the ageing population. (Rose also wants other generations to pick it up, but that\u2019s a whole other story).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although it sounds like it could be a B plot in Richard Osman\u2019s<\/a> Thursday Murder Club series, the rationale behind it has merit. Currently, an estimated 75% of older people experience hearing loss, which is expected to increase to 80% by 2032. <\/p>\n

However, hearing loss<\/a> can be easily dismissed and go undiagnosed leading to further problems and barriers later in life, as when communicating becomes difficult it can lead to feelings of isolation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Rose
\n\t\tRose has long thought that BSL has the power to positively improve the quality of life of the older population (Picture: BBC\/Rogan Productions\/Ricky Darko)<\/p>\n

According to Age UK, approximately one in five older adults (aged 65 and over) report feeling lonely, and isolation is one of the biggest killers in the UK \u2014 so it\u2019s an issue that needs to be addressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the retirement village\u2019s longest-standing residents Karen, 77, was an enthusiastic student during the process, which was documented by BBC in the playfully titled Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks, but initially, she had her reservations. \u2018How am I going to do this?\u2019 was her first question.<\/p>\n

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\u2018It was daunting. Some of us might not look that old, but we are old,\u2019 Karen tells Metro<\/strong>.\u00a0\u2018I\u2019ve lost a lot of my knowledge and I didn\u2019t think I was able to learn at all.\u2019<\/p>\n

She was quickly surprised though, by her brain\u2019s ability to pick up a new skill under the guidance of BSL teacher Marios Costi and Rose, who is currently starring in ITV thriller Code of Silence<\/a>. Not only did she enjoy learning the new langauage, but it also increased Karen\u2019s confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Learning sign language has given me another dimension. My son says it\u2019s given me a new lease of life. I\u2019m like a big kid at the moment,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Rose
\n\t\tThe residents at Hughenden Gardens Retirement Village are keen to take partin Rose\u2019s experiment (Picture: BBC)<\/p>\n

Widower Karen admits to previously putting on a positive \u2018mask\u2019 that hid what was truly going on behind the scenes. When her husband David died in 2015, a month before their 50th wedding anniversary, she understandably struggled to adapt without the love of her life. \u2018I couldn\u2019t get used to the fact that I hadn\u2019t got anybody living with me anymore. When I was on my own, I cried a lot of tears. I felt very lonely,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n

So in 2018, aged 70, she made the move to Hughenden Gardens and tried to be \u2018strong\u2019. <\/p>\n

There, Karen discovered that having things to do would make her feel better, so she took on the role as a bingo caller and helps write the village magazine. Learning sign language has also become another positive and welcome addition to her schedule.<\/p>\n

\u2018I still have my moments, everybody in my position does, but you have to live life to the full, and I\u2019m doing that now,\u2019 she explains. \u2018I talk to everyone because it makes me feel better and also I don\u2019t want them to feel how I\u2019ve felt. Now I can speak to people with hearing issues too.<\/p>\n

\u2018If you don\u2019t talk to people, you\u2019ll never find anything out about them. I discovered things about the lives of people I\u2019d known for a while \u2013 both good and bad \u2013 by learning sign. I\u2019ve had a couple of residents who have told me something funny about their life, which has gone into the magazine.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Rose, 30, became the first regular deaf character on EastEnders<\/a> and was the first deaf contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, famously going on to lift the glitterball trophy in 2021. She won the TV Moment of the Year Bafta after briefly dancing to silence<\/a>. The powerful choreography choice gave an insight into what she experienced every day. <\/p>\n

Rose then used her fame to throw all her support behind MP Rosie Cooper\u2019s bill asking for BSL to be legally recognised as a language<\/a>, which was passed in 2022 and her passion for challenging labels and BSL has continued to be unwavering.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The activist\u2019s efforts haven\u2019t gone unnoticed by Karen. \u2018The whole project was Rose\u2019s baby. She made us all feel special and became a friend,\u2019 she says.\u00a0\u2018Hearing Rose\u2019s story about some of the barriers she\u2019s faced being deaf made me sad and gave us all the credence then to carry on with this because we felt it had to be done.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Rose
\n\t\tRose campagined for BSL to be legally recognised as a language (Picture: BBC\/Rogan Productions\/Ricky Darko)<\/p>\n

After seeing the benefits firsthand, Karen knows that Rose is correct in encouraging a wider usage of BSL.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018I do believe that if other retirement villages and more elderly people could learn it there would be less loneliness,\u2019 she adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hearing loss is a major public health issue \u2013 \u00a0in the UK, 11 million people are hard of hearing, while 1.2 million adults are unable to hear most conversational speech \u2013 and the hope is the documentary will demonstrate the value BSL can have in all our lives, the joy of communicating and the power of community. <\/p>\n

Whether the messaging hits home and inspires real change is yet to be seen, but for Karen and her friends at Hughenden Gardens, the journey is continuing. They still have weekly lessons and regularly use BSL to communicate with each other.<\/p>\n

\u2018I know plenty of deaf people but before this, it never actually occurred to me that if I learned to sign, I could talk to them,\u2019 she admits. \u2018Now I am on my way to being able to talk to anybody. You don\u2019t need to be lonely in this village.\u2019<\/p>\n

Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks, produced by Rogan Productions<\/strong>, is available to watch on BBC iPlayer<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Josie.Copson@metro.co.uk<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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