FURNITURE & INTERIORS
associated with a transition from home to a care environment.
For former seafarers, their past life living and working at sea influences how content they are with us, so where we can, we create an environment that plays to their strengths. This can mean different things to different people, but we do find many of our residents and tenants thrive best in a location providing care and companionship at close quarters with a culture they can relate to that reflects a regimented and fraternal past.
Finishing touches such as our display cabinets, historic photography and nautical brass fittings help people to feel at home, and if you look carefully you can see maritime-themed designs on everything from our carpets to the last-orders bell in our bar.
Whilst our facilities have changed dramatically over the years, the original maritime items and memorabilia on display haven’t, with flags, compasses and even a cannon or two in the home. For dementia residents it is especially important for them to be around items that prompt memories and emotions, which in turn improves their general well-being.
All residents living in our dementia annexe have a personalised memory
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box outside their bedroom, filled with photographs and mementoes from their life. Dementia sufferers can lose short-term memories but longer term memories can often be triggered by items from an individual’s life.
The Alzheimer’s Society recognises memory boxes as a valuable way of care home residents establishing a landmark in their new home, and sees the content as a way of reflecting the owner’s life and providing invaluable information to carers. They help residents improve orientation and encourage increased levels of communication between carers, residents and their families.
With many of our residents spending time enjoying the home’s facilities and taking part in activities, we place a real emphasis on enabling independent living wherever possible, so memory boxes are a good way of allowing them independence in recognising their personal space within the home.
We also have a dedicated memory room in the home’s dementia annexe, supported by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity. The room features original maritime uniforms, accessories and memorabilia, as well as traditional typewriters and sewing machines, to prompt memories and make residents feel at home.
We invest heavily in updating the home’s furniture and interiors to ensure our residents benefit from the best surroundings possible. We recently built one of the home’s main lounges, which is now a bright, open room with large windows offering panoramic views of the home’s gardens and grounds. You can even see the Shard in London on a clear day!
We are always looking at ways to extend and advance the care we provide to ensure we are at the forefront of delivering the best quality care. As research into alternative therapies and innovative design features progresses, we will absorb and implement these in our daily routines. Dementia is still an under-researched illness and as such there are a variety of therapies and products being developed that can help carers deliver the very best care and environment.
Over the 150 years the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society has been caring for former seafarers, interiors, furniture and design has changed dramatically, but the thing that hasn’t changed is our unwavering dedication and commitment to all our residents, and their families, and though we may change the carpet and upgrade the armchairs, that level of care won’t change.
www.royalalfredseafarers.com - 31 -
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