Priors House care home brings back sweet memories for residents

Home news

Mar 15, 2016

Residents at Care UK’s Leamington Spa care home, Priors House, have taken a trip down memory lane following the opening an old-fashioned sweet shop. 

The care team at the care home on Old Milverton Lane has stocked a fun, nostalgic store with traditional confectionary and vintage weighing scales, alongside other items such as soft toys, stationery and toiletries. Designed to be a visually appealing and stimulating environment, the shop helps with reminiscence, which is key to the care of those living with dementia. 

Priors House residents work at the shop to encourage independence as part of an ongoing project to provide a dementia-friendly environment at the care home. The familiar surroundings are designed to spark fond memories and create an enjoyable environment for family and friends visiting the care home. 

Customer relations manager at Priors House, Mawson Chipchase, said: “We are delighted to have opened the doors to our very own sweet shop, with its traditional look and feel, it has created a buzz around the care home and it is fast becoming a hub of activity here at Priors House. What’s more, residents are really benefiting from the responsibility of running their own store, as well as having the independence to purchase their own essentials and not have to rely on others.”

“It has also been a valuable reminiscence project. Capturing and preserving memories can trigger an emotional response that can effectively help someone living with dementia by creating a sense of familiarity and comfort.”

The shop is run by 87-year-old resident Barbara Cooper, who thoroughly enjoys every aspect of managing the store from organising and pricing stock to serving customers. Barbara said: “I really love my new job in the sweet shop. It is great fun and I enjoy chatting to lots of different people every day. My favourite part is seeing what has sold at the end of the day, ordering in new stock and restocking the shelves.” 

Priors House is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own cinema and hairdressers, and there is plenty of space both indoors and out for relaxation and recreation.