Innovative 1950s style village green creates calming space for care home residents

The idea of creating a themed shop window within a care home to boost reminiscence in residents has been a popular project for many care homes.

Residents can recall memories about a period of their life the shop reflects, where sweet shops can remind them of their favourite treats from childhood and a traditional bakery inspires people to recall their family life.

Baylham Care Centre has taken this idea one step further and created a whole 1950s themed village green fitted with shop fronts, places to walk and even a traditional post office, all with custom made signs by a carpenter local to the home.

The village green was created to coincide with this year’s National Care Home Open Day, an annual event which aims to open the doors of care homes to the public and improve the image of care.

Prema Dorai, managing director of Cardinal Healthcare UK, which owns Baylham Care Centre said: “We created it as part of our plan to meet our dementia strategy and have already found it to be very good and extremely successful.”

For many residents who previously had challenging behaviours, visiting the village green is a calming instinctive daily activity which has reduced anxiety and confusion in residents.

Ms Dorai continued: “Since we first opened it, it has been used every day as a great way to get residents to feel happy in their environment and every day they use it, it provides a new experience for them.

“We have already seen the challenging behaviours of some residents with dementia improve as residents enjoy their familiar surroundings. It is one aspect of how we manage people with behaviours as it is linked to their past and provides a good experience for them.”

“The shop front is a façade with windows and very lifelike displays which are a regular topic of conversations. The whole village was a collaborative effort; we didn’t want one straight off the shelf so we worked in collaboration with a local carpenter and staff to create original looking shop fronts.

“The next collaborative project will be a tuck shop. This is one where residents can go in and really buy things.”

As well as creating the village green, Barham Nursing Home, also run by Cardinal Healthcare has created a replica train station with old fashioned posters, signs and benches for residents to spend time in.

Sound effects of passing trains and station noises run in the space to re-create the experience of being at a train station, something many male residents particularly enjoy.

Ms Dorai continued: “We wanted to go further than having a couple of bus stops in our garden and men tend to love spending time there. It seems to give them an instant calmness. The projects all have a positive impact on residents who have become less aggressive and allow them to have a chat and be stimulated in a safe way.

“The unique thing about our projects is that our homes were not fitted with the shops when first built, it has been a project which was discussed and agreed by everybody including staff and residents before it came into fruition, even the bunting was made by the residents themselves! There is a team ownership of the project.

“As well as a dementia unit, we have a medical rehab unit for people of many different ages with some as young as 24.

“We believe that it’s our family atmosphere and high level of support which reduces challenging behaviours in residents through a normal and stimulating environment.”

Cardinal Healthcare owns Baylham Care Home and Barham Nursing Home as well as operating a home care service for people continuing to live independently in their own home.