Gracewell of Newbury has opened the doors to its brand new Memory Care coffee shop and boutique.
Residents will now be able to enjoy cakes, yoghurts, fruit and other teats made by Newbury’s very own award-winning chef at the bright and airy coffee shop, while also using the space to partake in fun activities, including arts and crafts and having the chance to contribute to a resident art gallery. Over in the boutique, clothes, trinkets, hats, bags and other accessories can be purchased, with a plan in place to sell creative cards designed by residents.
Every other week, Newbury will also hold a Dementia Friends information session in the coffee shop for members of the community and care staff in and around the area to drop in on. The sessions, which are part of a national Alzheimer’s Society initiative, will give local people the chance to increase their understanding of dementia and the small things they can do to support those living with memory loss, while getting to experience Newbury’s coffee shop first-hand.
The dedicated spaces at the home are part of Gracewell of Newbury’s thriving plan to make its memory care unit even more dementia friendly, with the relaxed space of the coffee shop having been designed with the consideration of accessibility for those living with memory loss.
For example, there is a cake display fridge designed with light colours to make it easier for residents to choose what they would like to eat, a wooden picnic basket and no glass stands to make dining outside friendlier and safer, and the redirection of all lights for better visualisation.
The overall look and feel of the boutique has also been planned carefully, with the placement of items and its aesthetic design aimed at stimulating the memories of residents by recreating the experience of being in a shop. Significantly, there are no hazard points and the space is wheelchair-friendly, ensuring that as many residents as possible can enjoy treating themselves to something in the boutique.
After speaking to residents at the community’s regular resident meetings, Newbury’s heads of department were interested to hear suggestions on what more they can do to ensure those living with dementia live happy and fulfilled lives.
The coffee shop and the boutique will now be run by Gracewell of Newbury’s existing memory care staff as well as activities co-ordinator Sandra Vilaca. The project also received backing from head chef Adriano, who recently triumphed in Newbury’s ‘Care Dine with Me’ competition. After scooping the grand prize, part of Adriano’s winnings was generously allocated to developing the two spaces.
Gracewell of Newbury provides high quality, personalised nursing, residential, dementia and respite care, in a luxury environment where every resident is provided and cared for with their individual needs in mind. Its Memory Care household offers stand-alone spaces that are designed to meet the specific needs of those living with memory loss, with fun and stimulating activities on offer.
Evonne Burch, home admissions advisor at Gracewell of Newbury, says: “We are delighted to open a new coffee shop and boutique at Gracewell of Newbury. We are always delighted to hear more about how we can develop different areas around the home, and we instantly thought that this project was a wonderful idea. Residents have already been enjoying both spaces and we love seeing the smiles on their faces."
