‘REMINISCENCE HIGH STREET’ TO SUPPORT MEMORY Gloucester House, our residential, dementia and nursing home in Sevenoaks hand-built a row of vintage style shops, including a post office, greengrocers, tearoom, flower shop and even a bus stop – right in the home’s back garden. The high street is a step back in time for the home’s residents, many of whom are living with dementia. The street is equipped with vintage-style cash registers, weighing scales, and classic sweets that hark back to their childhoods. Akin to the ‘dementia villages’ made popular in the Netherlands in the 2010s, residents are able to visit the shops at their leisure, enjoy a cup of tea at the tearooms, or buy cards and stamps to send to relatives, allowing them to maximise and preserve their independence while ensuring they are safe and well. Schemes like this are proven to reduce symptoms associated with dementia such as agitation and anxiety, through prompting nostalgia and pleasant memories.
NEW ROLE TO REINFORCE ACTIVITIES PROVISION This year, we introduced an Activities and Wellbeing Co-Ordinator to oversee the activities provision across all our homes, ensuring consistency and promoting larger group activities across our family of homes. We were thrilled to welcome Cassy Swann to the role, who had previously led activities at Kingston House, our home in Wiltshire. “I applied for the role of Activities and Wellbeing Co-Ordinator as I was keen to use my skills and knowledge to support the teams across all of Greensleeves Care and ensure they have the tools, resources and knowledge they need to help our residents stay happy and live enriched, fulfilling lives” said Cassy reflecting on her role.
“From the start of the project, we wanted to make sure it was a real team effort. Colleagues from all departments were involved, and our residents did a great job of painting the ‘shops’! We are always trying to encourage independence within our homes, and this allows us to continue to promote that. It was a real labour of love, and to see our residents enjoying it is just a wonderful result.”
“I feel the Activities Co-Ordinators are the heart of the home, ensuring all residents maintain a good quality of life and are empowered to live their lives as they wish to. “It is very rewarding knowing that my support positively impacts on the activity provision and wellbeing of our residents. I feel having worked as an Activities Assistant in one of our homes is helping me in my new role as I understand the demands of the job and can relate to the teams. I also feel this has helped me connect with residents across all our homes and find ways to meet their needs in a person-centred way.”
Leigh Leggatt, Activities Co-Ordinator at Gloucester House
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Our Impact in 2023 – 2024
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