Nostalgic trip to 1930s Britain for elderly residents

TIME TRAVELLING care home residents and primary school pupils took a trip back to the 1930s to celebrate Dementia Action Week.

Youngsters from Blacklow Brow School dressed in pre-WW2 clothing for the activity at Aaron Grange Care Home, in Huyton, near Liverpool.

Museum-led dementia awareness programme, House of Memories made a special visit to the home to bring memorabilia for a reminiscence session.

The pupils, aged four and five, explored the items with elderly residents and their family members, who told them about their memories of using them when they were children.

Among the memorabilia was a chamber pot, which the children were surprised to learn was kept under the bed and used as a toilet.

Resident Les Storey, 80, demonstrated a toy he used to play with as a young boy, which the pupils then enjoyed using themselves.

Resident Peggy Bordessa, 92, enjoyed seeing a wash board, which brought back memories of how she used to wash her clothes years ago.

Chris Kerfoot, from House of Memories, showed a ceramic water bottle, which got the residents talking about having them when they were children, filling them with hot water and placing them at the end of their beds for warmth.

There was also an old map of Liverpool, which the children and residents compared to a modern map, to see what had changed.

Amy Muscatelli, activities coordinator at Aaron Grange Care Home, said: “This is not something the museum normally do but I attended dementia training at the museum a few months ago and they agreed to join us to mark Dementia Action Week.

“Reminisce sessions like this can have a profound impact on those with dementia, bringing back memories from their childhoods, hobbies and jobs which can improve their general mood and wellbeing.

“We were delighted the children from Blacklow Brow School were able to join us for the activity and their costumes were amazing. They thoroughly enjoyed discussing the items with the residents and learning about how they were used.

“A massive thank you to House of Memories and the school for making it such a special day.”