Community ‘heroes’ unveil their brand-new dementia sensory room

A Salford care home has used prize money awarded by a housing association to create a soothing sensory room for its resident dementia patients.

The Fountains Care Centre in Swinton were named the winner of Salix Homes’annual Springboard Heroes Awards and won a cash boost of £1000.

The Ceremonial Mayor of Salford Charlie McIntyre cut the ribbon at the opening of the newly finished sensory room. Part-funded by the Springboard Heroes prize money, the room is the result of a fundraising campaign by The Fountains to help create a more stimulating environment for their dementia residents.

Someone is diagnosed with dementia every three minutes, and symptoms include memory loss, confusion and for some, forgetting their own loved ones.

The effects of the brain disorder can be devastating for the patients and their families, but The Fountains has been raising much-needed funds to help make life a little easier for its residents.

Shelly Hollorn, administrator at The Fountains, said “We’ve used the prize money to create an aquatic themed sensory room. The gentle stimulation of sensory rooms has been found to reduce tension, relieve stress and improve well-being.

“We chose the underwater theme after noticing how much our residents enjoyed watching our tropical fish swim around in their tanks. There’s lot of things in the room for them to interact with, which we hope will help to boost their mood.”

Ceremonial Mayor Charlie McIntyre cut the ribbon on the new sensory room. He said: “This is the third sensory room I’ve had the honour of opening this year. It’s heartening to see care homes make such an effort to improve the level of care for people with dementia. Rooms like this one can make a real difference.”

The Fountains were one of four finalists in the Springboard Heroes Awards, with close to 1,000 votes cast by the public.

Sue Sutton, executive director of operations at Salix Homes, said: “Throughout Salford there are community groups and initiatives that work tirelessly to make a difference in Salford’s neighbourhoods, and the Springboard Heroes Awards is our way of honouring them.

Staff at The Fountains have done a fantastic job renovating the room and we’re thrilled they’ve been able to use the prize money to create such a vital resource for their residents. It’s projects like these that make our communities so special.”

Shelly added: “Our sensory room wouldn’t have been possible without the help from Salix Homes. We’re extremely grateful for the support we’ve received and we can’t wait to see how the residents enjoy their new room.”