Care homes to work with poets in memory project

Care homes are looking for poets to work with people living with conditions such as dementia to help them unlock memories.

Literature Works' Poetry Cares residency project, which has previously been run in Devon, is searching for poets to deliver weekly sessions at care homes in Stroud and Cheltenham this summer.

Organisers said they saw "remarkable" results at their national poetry memory cafes and hope the care home sessions will produce similar results.

Ginny Peachey, from Sandfields Care Home in Cheltenham, said residents were "excited" to take part in the project.

Ms Peachey said: "It's going to stimulate imagination. It will be a form of reminiscence for them and hopefully it will open up some memories and positive interactions.

"It's something we haven't done before. We had an enormous interest from the residents to take part in the project.

"It's great we're involved in the recruitment process for the residency and we're looking forward to welcoming them into the home and helping them create something special."

Literature Works CEO, Helen Challoner, said the structure and rhythmic nature of poetry had a positive impact on people living with memory loss.

"We have been running Poetry Cares in memory cafes since 2018 with poets who run these lovely dynamic sessions on poetry and reminiscence.

"The residency is a new development. We've learnt so much about the impact that poetry can have and how it can spark memories and help people gain language that they had lost. It's quite remarkable."

Literature Works plans to open two more Poetry Cares care home residency positions in Cheltenham and Gloucester later this year.

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