Giving our homes a dose of Daily Sparkle

We’re always on the lookout for new and meaningful ways to enrich our residents’ lives and empower our staff members to deliver person-centered care. Resources that enrich interactions, inspire conversations and improve mental health and wellbeing are invaluable across all of our homes, and help our dedicated teams to engage all the more meaningfully. What’s more, these kinds of prompts aid reminiscence therapy, not to mention being great fun for residents to share with their friends and family members on visits.

We’ve been trialling The Daily Sparkle throughout our homes for the last couple of months, and have noticed several benefits related to this relatively simple idea. The Daily Sparkle is a daily reminiscence newspaper, comprising nostalgic photos, quotes and news articles from across the eras that have been reproduced into a document that’s emailed directly to care home managers and activity coordinators. There are readers’ stories, helpful tips and quizzes, too. Printed out as a short newspaper The Daily Sparkle is easy to get to grips with, and so stimulating for residents who may be grappling with memory loss, dementia, age-related decline.

The Daily Sparkle is being used, and enjoyed in all of our care homes. We were particularly heartened by the feedback we received from Redmount Residential Home in Buckfastleigh, Devon. One resident was delighted with the latest copy of the newspaper, and announced: “We used to sing that song at school… and look, it’s ‘thingummy’. You know, him from the telly!” Jean’s memories were stirred, and conversations about childhood and favourite celebrities ensued. The Daily Sparkle is a fantastic prompt, inspiring reminiscence and acting as a form of therapy for our residents living with dementia.

It’s not only the content that has engaged staff members and residents. The Home Manager at Cedar Court Nursing Home in Bretby, Derbyshire noted that The Daily Sparkle can be handled and read more easily than a normal newspaper. Short and sweet, with larger images and text the paper can be readily digested by residents and their family members and friends. It’s accessible, and can be dipped in and out of as residents wish. What’s more the content is relevant to particular moments in time, which helps those living with dementia to access and understand what is being talked about.

The Daily Sparkle is certainly inspiring conversations in our homes, and helping us to fulfil our philosophy of person-centered care. We can’t wait to see where it’s pages will take us next.

- Louise Baker, Marketing Assistant

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