Sunderland Residents Head to Their Own ‘Bop’ in New 1950s Diner

‘Hound Dog’ and ‘At the Bop’ are now regularly heard throughout Lansbury Court Care Home in Sunderland, as residents head to their own ‘bop’ in their newly opened 1950s Diner. With padded leather booths in candy stripe blue, a replica Wurlitzer Jukebox and 1950s memorabilia adorning the walls, the converted space has brought new life to the home, where residents and staff can now take part in activities and run reminiscence sessions, or just enjoy the music and a snack during the day. The new diner has opened as part of an extensive investment of over £220,000 in the 55-bed home. It has been created with dementia-friendly features in mind, such as warm, mood lighting and tactile signage and memorabilia. This is another new space for the home in addition to a bar area that was added at the end of 2016. “The room looks absolutely brilliant, and makes such a difference to the home and the facilities we offer.” says Suzanne McKie, Home Manager, “We’ve really seen a number of our residents engage in this space, such as Barry and Rita, who never want to leave after they’ve been. They know all the words and moves to the songs.” Tracey Tomlinson, Director of Customer Experience, says “It’s important that our homes feel ‘homely’, but are also stimulating environments for our residents. We have been creating a series of dementia-friendly spaces, and investing heavily in this area of our decoration and upgrades. We look forward to working with other homes in the Sunderland area to enhance this further.” Follow Orchard Care Homes on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orchardcarehome/