Dementia residents help the power of memory take centre stage

Dementia residents at a Colten Care home in Poole are helping a theatre company stage a show inspired by the power of memory.

People living at The Aldbury will inform performances of Memory Points, by Winchester-based group Platform 4, at the Lighthouse Poole.

Through a variety of hands-on arts and crafts sessions with Platform 4, residents will help bring an air of uniqueness to the show, which will take place between 6 and 11 September.

The show, which marks four years of collaborative work between the theatre group and the Alzheimer’s Society, takes the audience on a backstage tour of mini-installations and memory prompts. They will be encouraged to reflect on a variety of sensory props along the way, including costumes and pieces of music.

Speaking about the decision to work with The Aldbury, Catherine Church, artistic director of Platform 4, said: “While we have the same core show, working in advance with people locally who have dementia ensures each performance is both individual and geographically linked to the place we are visiting.”

Care home manager Denise Arthur-Briskham said: “Our residents are invited to participate in the sessions if they choose to. The focus is on very gentle, practical activities that help to stimulate discussion in a friendly, supervised setting. It’s the same approach we take in our memory themed rooms and garden spaces and it’s something that our residents will find very therapeutic.”