Senior home residents showing support for Oilers by dancing on TikTok

Charli D’Amelio may have some competition in Alberta – some senior residents at a St. Albert retirement home are blowing up Tiktok with their dance moves.

The retirement home has posted TikTok videos since 2020, but their newest post has earned over 100 thousand plays so far. It features senior hockey fans dressing up and dancing to celebrate the Oilers’ coming home for the playoffs.

“Well you know, I’m a bit of an actor and we got some good directors here, says Gilbert Paradis, a long-time Oilers fan and retirement home resident. “They’re very good, and we like to play ball and do whatever they say.”

Paradis, who has been an Oilers fan for decades, says he likes the look of the current squad.

“They are good,” said Paradis, “I really like the new coach they got. It’s made a big improvement. They got a few extra players there that made hat tricks — Kane is one of them.”

Morag Kortegaard is another TikTok star living in the same retirement home as Paradis. She’s the 80-plus-year-old star of a beauty TikTok video, which depicts her putting on a face mask and appearing to look only 20-years-old afterward. She said she thinks that unlike her, her peers may be camera-shy.

“They haven’t done it over the years, so starting now is a little hard for some people,” said Kortegaard.

Lori Kary, the recreation therapist and regional director of health and wellness for All Seniors Care had the idea to get residents involved in TikToks. She said it’s a great creative outlet for them and a way to stay connected to the world outside the home.

“We tell them that their grandkids or their great grandkids watch TikTok videos and they’re just keeping in the loop, right?” said Kary.

The Oilers are playing the LA Kings Thursday, May 12th in game 6 – so what should the St. Albert retirement home residents do to cheer on the team?

Dance on!