Member Article

‘Pub’ in dementia care home stirs fond memories

Former England and Hull KR Rugby League player and popular local publican Phil Lowe recently helped launch a specialist in-house ‘pub’ within an East Riding care home.

Called The Hub, the new facility in Hedon village is an innovative idea being tested within Albemarle care home, operated by Hull-based Hica Group.

The Hub has been launched to support a specialist dementia care scheme where residents are encouraged to reminisce and socialise in familiar social settings with family and friends.

Care home manager, Cindy Turner said: “The Hub is a fantastic idea from the residents and their families. Most of our residents live with dementia and the bar is designed as a place that residents can not only enjoy, but also as somewhere which will support innovative dementia care and create a traditional environment which could stir happy memories.

“The Hub was created thanks to donations from the families of our residents to provide something extra for the home. The recent opening event gave us the opportunity to showcase what their donations were spent on, and everyone was delighted with the result.”

Cindy added: “Phil’s nearby pub was a favourite with some of our residents, so they were all thrilled to see him again.”

Phil, who owns the Shakespeare Inn in Hedon said: “I think The Hub is a fantastic idea, not only to provide a place for everyone to enjoy socially, but also to promote a relaxing and recognisable setting for those with dementia. The staff at Albermarle are clearly very passionate about providing innovative methods of care for their residents.”

The Hub will also play host to traditional pub games for residents and families, including a regular pub quiz, chess and draughts.

Penni Brown, chief executive at The Hica Group said: “The idea of The Hub is excellent as it provides a range of purposes at Albermarle. First of all, it’s a fantastic environment for residents to enjoy their time with visitors, and secondly it has been designed especially with our residents with dementia in mind. We would like to thank Cindy and the staff at Albermarle for going that extra mile for the residents.”

The Hica Group is a not for profit organisation, which operates a portfolio of 20 residential care homes, five of which are for people with a learning disability, along with two retirement villages. The company also runs a home care service providing approximately 11,500 hours of support and care from four regional offices in the North of England.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by The Hica Group .