“There is a gramophone, a manual typewriter and some black and white photographs dotted about. The phone is made of Bakelite and much of the furniture in the room dates from the 1950s. This ‘time-warp’ room has been created at a care home and, despite appearances, represents the very latest in caring for residents with Alzheimer’s.”
“Staff say it helps to calm patients by transporting them back to ‘the good old days’, and stirring fond memories. They also say using the room has led to a dramatic drop in the use of anti-psychotic drugs taken to combat Alzheimer’s.”
“The reminiscence room plays an important role in reducing the use of medication – it’s very, very effective,”
said manager Sue Linsley of Coombe End Court, in Marlborough, Wiltshire.
“The aim of the room is to help dementia patients tap more easily into memories from their past, triggering more memories that can give them a grounding when they may be confused. The gramophone, the Bakelite telephone – they evoke memories of happy times of bringing up children and it provokes conversation about the past.”
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Thank you to BBC News, Daily Mail, Tom Murphy and Coombe End Court
I could be very happy there…and I’m twenty-four.
I’ve heard of this idea and it’s a brilliant one. My father suffered from dementia. There’s also a highly effective scheme called ‘Reminiscences’. Oh and I had a push along dog like the one pictured!
Bet this was secretly shot in the Retronaut’s living room
It’s the logical extension to our playing George Formby records to my grandfather when he suffered from dementia. More often than not, a blast of “Fanlight Fanny” did more to calm him down than any number of tablets.
That modern carpet stands out somewhat amongst what looks like an otherwise convincing diorama… perhaps they can put it in my nursing home so I can relive the 1990s.
These rooms are more modern then my entire house!
Brilliant… but do they have vintage shows on the radio?
I live in a very old house and am furnishing it with antique furniture. I have many old pictures of my ancestors on the wall. When my Mom comes over, she says she feels very “peaceful” and at home in my house. She is 88 years old. After reading this, now I understand why she feels that way.
[...] the article here: Retronautic Rest Home « How to be a Retronaut This entry was posted in Carpet, carpets and tagged carpet, more-modern, nursing-home, [...]
I’m going to stock a room with Nintendo, comics, Michael Jackson’s Thriller and a leather couch and seal it with the express instructions not to open in until well after my retirement
[...] Wild, Chris. 2024. Retronautic Rest Home. How to be a Retronaut: if the past is a foreign country, this is your passport. December 1, 2024. click here. [...]
I worked in a museum that also loaned out some specimens to schools, etc. We also had a collection of vintage items, such as old medical equipment and toys; schools would sometimes borrow those to talk about “the old days”, but quite often, respite homes would borrow these as they helped residents with memory-based problems recall items more clearly, often bringing people “out of their shell”. Good on this centre for attempting something similar
the carpet is authentic is you go back they did have this pattern and is a retro remake.
The radio plays the archers and is tuned into the light radio so as authentic as we can get.