Residents of Stanley Wilson Lodge Care Home in Saffron Walden were recently visited by Stephanie, the Community Outreach Officer for a reminiscence session with items from the local library.
Reminiscence sessions have a variety of different benefits for residents, especially for people who live with dementia. These sessions help to bring back fond memories that may not have otherwise been recalled and also helps to reconnect people to key moments in their lives.
Knowing the benefits a memory box would have to people living in the local community, the Saffron Walden Library put together reminiscence boxes containing leaflets, letters and books from the past, as well as some ‘scent jars’ to aid with recalling memories.
The people living at Stanley Wilson enjoyed meeting Stephanie and rummaging through the memory boxes she brought with her. Betty, who lives at Stanley Wilson, said looking at the pictures of products from the past brought back memories of the cigarettes she used to smoke in the 1950s. Peter then shared memories about his siblings, 9 children and what it was like growing up in Yorkshire.
Some other special family moments were shared which raised smiles around the room and made for a positive end to the session.
The team would like to thank Stephanie and the team from the Saffron Walden Library for organising an exciting and engaging day for the residents of Stanley Wilson lodge.