Care-home bosses have created a 1950s-style high street to help stimulate their elderly residents.
It features a classic tearoom, a sweet shop, a butcher’s and even a post office.
Experts say the “sensory street” helps those living with dementia because it gives them reminders of the past.
Bosses at the home also play songs from the 1950s and 1960s into communal areas for residents to enjoy.
They have even bought pet goats, parrots, guinea pigs and dogs for the residents to care for.
Anthea Reid, who is the care home’s manager, said the idea just “got bigger and bigger”.
She said: “It was like, let’s do this. Let’s not just have shop fronts, but spaces people could actually use, that families could use.”
Viv Semmens, whose 90-year-old mum with dementia, Audrey, lives in the home, said: “I think it’s excellent, it gives them a talking point.
“She can’t remember the last time she saw a butcher’s shop.
“Just thinking about those things is really positive – how she felt when she was younger, the places she visited when she was younger. She takes part when she’s asked to and really does seem to get something out of it.”
Bosses at Robert Harvey House, in Birmingham, came up with the high street idea after seeing a similar scheme in the Netherlands.
Dr Sarah Smith, a dementia expert at Leeds Beckett University, said sensory stimulation and social interaction can really help those suffering from Alzheimer’s.
She said: “The memories people retrieve are typically from periods around early adulthood, which are considered to be self-defining.
“So, reminiscing about these memories can reinforce sense of self and promote wellbeing. There is increasing evidence to show there is a lot people can do to live well with dementia.”
The home is run by the charity Broadening Choices for Older People.
Boss Caroline Cooban said: “If there’s a connection made, a smile, a laugh, then that’s the most important thing.”
