RETRO DAY SPARKS PRECIOUS MEMORIES

Residents at Avalon had a great time reliving their youth at a specially curated ‘Retro Day’ organised by their home’s activities team.

Activities coordinator Olive Trowsdale said: “Our residents love sharing their memories, and this was a great opportunity to actively indulge in reminiscing and revisiting some of the things they used to love when they were younger.

“We dressed up in the kind of clothes they would wear when they were in their late teens and twenties, and they had fun with some cut-out props featuring hairdos that were trendy back in the day.

“Because music is a great way to access old memories, and we know that musical memories are among the very last to fade, we played favourite hits from the decades of their youth – such a great way to engage their attention and get them singing along.

“We had a lovely karaoke session, that included lots of songs we know they love, and many of our ladies and gents were also keen to show us their favourite dance moves.

“We played a variety of retro games such as darts and skittles, and we had a great retro bingo session too.

“Fair to say the day was a real hit, and we’re planning to do it again focusing on different decades.

“Our main goal is to provide our lovely residents with activities that they enjoy, because it’s so important to keep the minds of people living with dementia engaged, and the key to that is keeping them happy and wanting more.”