Follow the yellow-brick road: Colne View residents and school children come together for dementia

Home news

Nov 06, 2018

Residents from Colne View took a trip to Oz with local school pupils as part of a new intergenerational-partnership. 

Children from Richard de Clare Primary School joined residents from Colne View at the Empire Theatre for a special screening of The Wizard of Oz, as part of the Archie Project and Colne View’s Dementia Friendly Cinema initiative. 

The Archie Project was set-up by the charity Reminiscence Learning, and was first introduced at Colne View last year, with the aim of dispelling the myths and stigma associated withdementia. 

This year’s project launched last month with an introductory session at the school, followed by a Dementia Friends session at Colne View, but the cinema visit was the first time the children were able to put their new knowledge into practice.

Colne View launched its Dementia Friendly Cinema in Halstead earlier this year, which comprises of special screenings designed for older people to not only experience a film at the cinema, but also provide an opportunity for carers and their loved ones to spend valuable time together in a friendly, accessible environment. The project was funded by the Community Councilor’s Grant, but following its initial success, the care home hopes to extend this beyond the current six-month period.  

Home manager at Colne View, Razvan Stanbeca, said: “We believe it isimportant to learn about dementia from a young age and hope that this project will raise awareness of the condition for pupils, as well as their parents, teachers and the local community.

“Since launching our dementia friendly screenings, we’ve had such wonderful feedback from the community with more and more local people attending each month. A trip to the cinema may feel like an odd way to learn, but we wanted to take the children out of the classroom environment so they could see how small changes such as, leaving the lights on, or having an interval, can improve the experience for people living with dementia – not to mention the social aspect the initiative offers, helping to reduce isolation in older people. 

“We had a great day, and the pupils and residents have had a wonderful time getting to know each other even better. We’re really looking forward to continuing to work with pupils at Richard de Clare Primary School as the Archie project progresses, and continue to build on the friendships which have been forged.”