New sensory boxes and ‘RemPods’ praised for positive impact on care home residents in Wrexham

Special sensory boxes and RemPods have been praised for the positive impact they have had on care home residents across Wrexham.

Both items aim to help residents living with dementia make memories more vivid, detailed, emotional and personal.

Locally both the RemPods and sensory boxes have been distributed to every care home in Wrexham thanks to funding from the Dementia Action Plan, provided by the Welsh Government via the Adult Social Care Commissioning and Contracts team.

RemPods are reminiscence pods that help to transform any care space and offer a naturally calming and therapeutic experience which makes it easier for older people in care, especially those with dementia to tap into memories from their past, giving them grounding and comfort.

The sensory boxes provide activities that contribute to the emotional and physical health of people living with dementia.

Items in the box include room sprays, which smell like different places e.g. the seaside; animal bingo and jigsaw puzzles; textile boards with different materials to help trigger memories; CDs with sounds and flash cards showing old photographs and painting pictures.

Sensory boxes and RemPods can help provide a connection between a care-giver and the person living with memory loss, wonderful stories can be recalled, shared, enjoyed and chronicled.

The boxes and pods have been welcomed by residents and care home staff – who say they have made help generate wonderful memories and have seen more people take part in activities.

One Home Care manager stated that both items have made a really positive impact on the way they interact with their residents. “It’s been a conversation starter and we have noticed that some residents that haven’t been as forthcoming in previous activities have enjoyed the sessions and become much more involved.”

An Activity Co-ordinator, working in one of the care homes in Wrexham added: “I’ve found the sensory box to be really valuable in getting people engaged.

“We’ve had loads of fun with the painting and puzzles.

“Families have been so surprised to see their family member painting when they visit it’s encouraged them to join in, turning what would have been a 10-15 minute visit into quality time and staying longer.”

“The RemPods have been great, people have joined in activities and they have generated some wonderful memories for people”

The initial idea to provide sensory boxes and RemPods to care homes came from the Activity Coordinator Meeting, set up in 2015 in response to the Older People’s Commissioners report ‘A Place to Call Home’ which identified that there was a lack of social stimulation within care homes that can often lead to older people withdrawing, both physically and emotionally.

This can have a significant impact on their health, wellbeing and quality of life.

These meetings, held on a quarterly basis, are organised by Wrexham Council and include Activity Co-ordinators from care homes and wards within the hospital and also invites representatives from partner organisations e.g. Alzheimer’s society, Age Cymru, Coleg Cambria, BCUHB and many more to talk about the support that can be provided to care homes.

These regular meetings have proved to be popular with staff, giving them a place to share best practice and ideas.

For more information please contact the Commissioning team: [email protected] / 01978 292066