Care Home Residents Take a Walk Down Memory Lane
An Oxfordshire care home has launched a brand new, dementia-friendly corridor with a grand opening and ribbon cutting to commemorate the event.
Rosebank Care Home in Bampton specialises in dementia care and invited West Oxfordshire and Witney MP Robert Courts to celebrate the completion of the seaside-themed corridor with them.
The event was a huge success and celebration, which was attended by residents, their relatives, the home’s staff and the home’s new owners Robert Adams and Renos Sideras.
Gemma Foster who is the activities coordinator at the home led the redesign with input from the residents, she said: “Multi-sensory experiences are really important for people living with dementia, which is why our newly decorated memory lane is so stimulating.
“There is lots to look at, music that plays and even tactile elements that the residents can touch. It’s a treat for the eyes and the ears!
“Most of our residents have lovely memories of the seaside, which is why we settled on this theme. If anyone is feeling a bit stressed or overwhelmed, we take a walk down ‘Memory Lane’ and talk about memories and just escape for a little while.”
Memory Lane as it is affectionately known in the home has now been fully decorated and refurbished in a seaside and underwater theme. It features aquatic wallpaper, hand painted shells and fish and beach huts painted around doors.
Stimulating all of the senses is a vital part of dementia care, which is why the dementia corridor is such a valuable asset to the care home.
Jean McCrindle, 85 is a Rosebank resident. She attended the opening and has been enjoying the new corridor decor.
Jean said: “I think it is brilliant, very well designed. It has a lovely seaside feel with the sea and boats, it makes me smile every time I come down here and actually I find myself coming down here a lot more than I did before. I love walking down here, it’s very colourful and I love the things that are hanging from the ceiling.”
According to Alzheimer’s Research UK there are close to 10,000 people across Oxfordshire and The Cotswolds living with dementia.
Vanessa Lavender is Rosebank’s manager and has been supporting Gemma and the residents with the dementia-friendly refurbishment.
Vanessa said: “We are so excited to be able to open our brand new dementia corridor. It’s a complex condition which requires lots of stimuli, and this corridor delivers just that. We hope that by having this asset available to us we can provide better care to our residents, and also help the people of Oxfordshire understand what works well for people living with dementia.”
She continued: “It was a pleasure to welcome Robert Courts MP to officially open the corridor. Our residents love a party, and love engagement from the outside world so it was a really successful day.
“The completion of this corridor will make a huge difference to our residents. It provides an escape, a different experience and is something that they have helped to sculpt and build which is just lovely for them.”
