Care Home Rolls Out The Red Carpet For Silver Screen Fans
A Liphook care home is helping older film fans and their carers enjoy a ‘reel’ treat by offering free tickets to a local cinema’s dedicated programme for older people in the community.
The Living Room Cinema, in The Square, Liphook, hosts Silver Screenings which have been specifically designed for people aged 60 and over and which include a hot drink and cake with the film admission fee.
Bramshott Grange Care Community is supporting the programme by providing a number of complimentary tickets, with the aim of giving older people and carers the chance to spend relaxed, meaningful time together.
The first Bramshott Grange-supported screening featured the much-loved classic comedy Some Like It Hot, chosen following suggestions from the community and people who attend Liphook Day Centre.
Eight people from the day centre attended, alongside residents from Bramshott Grange, creating a sociable morning that brought together people from the care home and the wider local area.
Although Bramshott Grange has its own small in-house cinema, the home says residents love the opportunity to go out, enjoy a change of scene and reconnect with familiar places and people in the community.
Louise Trant, Family Liaison Manager at Bramshott Grange Care Home, said: “Our ladies and gentlemen really enjoyed the morning. It was lovely for them to meet local residents and to see people they knew from outside the home. That connection with the wider community is so important.”
Louise, who previously worked at The Living Room Cinema, said she had long admired the community feel of the venue and wanted to help more older people benefit from its Silver Screen screenings.
She added: “The Living Room Cinema is a lovely, bespoke cinema and it has become a real community space. I always felt the Silver Screen screenings were a wonderful idea, and when I came to Bramshott Grange I thought it would be a really nice opportunity for us to work together and support something that brings people joy.”
Bramshott Grange is particularly keen to support people who care for loved ones at home, giving them the chance to enjoy a simple shared experience away from day-to-day responsibilities.
Louise said: “If you are caring for somebody, you can sometimes lose the relationship you had before, whether that is as mother and daughter, father and son, or another family connection. When the lights go down in the cinema, you can forget about the caring role for a little while and simply enjoy being together again.”
She added: “I have cared for my own parents, so I know how hard that role can be. This is a way of giving something back and offering people a bit of escapism, companionship and enjoyment.”
Film choices for future supported screenings will be shaped by the community. Visitors to The Living Room Cinema will be able to suggest and vote for films they would like to see, with Bramshott Grange planning to support further screenings every two to three months.
The next Bramshott Grange-supported Silver Screen event is expected to take place in September. The home is also planning to take residents to more of the cinema’s regular Silver Screen events in future.
Louise said: “We would love people to get in touch with film suggestions, especially films that bring back happy memories or that families used to watch together. It might be a classic from the 1950s or 1960s, or something from the 1970s or 1980s that people remember sharing with their parents.”
Asa Brennan, General Manager of The Living Room Cinema said: “We are delighted to welcome Bramshott Grange residents and members of the wider community to our Silver Screen screenings. These events are designed to be relaxed, sociable and enjoyable, and it is wonderful to see Bramshott Grange helping more people experience the joy of cinema together.”
Anyone who would like to register interest in future supported Silver Screen events, suggest a film or find out more about Bramshott Grange can contact the home on 01428 778500 or email Louise.trant@bramshottgrange.co.uk
