Manx Care is pleased to announce the official opening of the Dementia Friendly Lounge in Ward 6 at Noble’s Hospital.
Friends of Noble’s Hospital has generously funded chairs, recliners, curtains and activities including large piece jigsaws for the facility as part of the renovations, along with the redecoration of the room. The lounge directly opens onto a relaxing garden area – much of which was also funded by the charity last year - where service users and their families can sit outside.
The lounge has specifically been developed to enable those with dementia to feel safe within the environment, in a bid to reduce stress and anxiety, and to improve mood, confidence and self-esteem.
There are plans in the future to introduce a timetable of activities including singing and reminiscence, and the lounge is already proving popular with 'lunch club' members, who use the space to relax, have lunch and have a chat together.
Rachel Taylor, Senior Ward Sister, commented:
'It’s been a fantastic project from start to finish and we’ve enjoyed developing the room for our service users and their families to enjoy. The team have really scrutinised every detail to make sure there are many 'homely touches' and that the colour scheme is calming. This lounge offers respite and gets people away from the hustle and bustle of the wards – we can’t thank Friends of Noble’s Hospital enough for helping us generate such a positive and relaxing space for our long-term and short-term patients.'
Susan Grace from Friend of Noble’s Hospital added:
'We are thrilled to have been able to help with the renovation of this space for those in the Hospital who need it. Friends of Noble’s Hospital are here to facilitate things that directly benefit patients, and we thoroughly enjoy doing so. It is hard to believe that the room is set in a clinical area and are pleased to hear that users are already acknowledging the transformation.'
