Archers Court Care Home helps Farringdon Academy support youth mental health

If you’ve ever visited a loved one at Archers Court Care Home, you’ll be all too familiar with the regular visits from Farringdon Academy – and recently, they’ve reached the Gold mark in Sunderland’s Mental Health Charter, thanks to the support from our dementia-specialist care home. We spoke to Home Manager, Sharon, and Lauren, teacher, to find out why their collaboration is mutually important!

Farringdon Academy, situated next door to Archers Court, is part of Sunderland’s Mental Health Charter: an initiative which works with schools and healthcare professionals to support the mental wellbeing of young people in the region. Rated Bronze to Gold, each participating business has to demonstrate their exceptional standards in supporting youth mental health.

Achieving their Bronze status in 2019, Farringdon Academy have committed to supporting the wellbeing of not just their students, but staff, parents and the local community, too. As part of achieving their Gold mark, they’ve been working with residents and colleagues at Archers Court Care Home to organise fun, engaging afternoons in the home, which quickly became many residents’ favourite activity of the week.

Alongside Sharon, Lou Hiles, Activities Coordinator, spoke at a presentation about the positive impact the children’s visits have made to their residents, all of whom live with dementia. “Many of our residents are parents, grandparents or worked in schools, so they naturally love being around kids. As soon as the children arrive, their faces light up – it’s lovely to see!”

The presentation, which was held at Farringdon Academy, resulted in the school achieving Gold mark: the highest accreditation in the charter. Sharon, Home Manager at the dementia-specialist care home, said “It’s important for our residents to remain close to the local community, and our collaboration with Farringdon Academy is just one of the many ways we keep active within the area. Living with dementia, it’s vital that our residents continue being a valued member of society, which we feel this partnership shows.”

What started as a small initiative soon became something special for residents and students alike. Pupils from Farringdon Academy visited the care home for a variety of activities; from arts and crafts sessions, to shared reading and even the occasional impromptu singalong (which is not surprising – the Archers Court team loves karaoke!) 

One resident, Denise, particularly enjoys playing card games with the children. “They teach me their games and always cheer me on if I win! I love spending time with the children; it makes me feel happy.”

This collaboration is a shining example of how care homes and schools can work together to promote positive mental health, and with great community links, residents in our dementia-specialist care home can continue making a difference to people in Sunderland. 

We’re excited to see Archers Court Care Home’s and Farringdon Academy’s relationship blossom, and thank you for proving that positive mental wellbeing is something we can all contribute to – regardless of age!

Rated ‘Good’ by CQC, Archers Court Care Home is a specialist-dementia care home offering our innovative Reconnect care. Why not get in touch to find out more? Hit the button below!