Our new Cherry Trees Dementia Household has opened its doors this week as a new addition to the recently refurbished nursing home in the heart of the Radbrook community in Shrewsbury.

Cherry Trees has been carefully designed and decorated to provide a haven for memory care, with 14 en-suite bedrooms leading to lovely themed areas for socialising and relaxation.  The open plan kitchen and dining room have patio doors leading into a quiet, secluded and sunny patio garden. Here residents can enjoy fresh air and birdsong as well as taking part in the ritual of planting seasonal vegetables and herbs – something so nourishing for the soul – as well as for Head Cook Andrew Wassall, who regularly includes home grown herbs in dishes served to his diners.

Every detail has been incorporated to make life safe, calm and enjoyable. Gallery Walls have been designed to conjure up familiar and friendly scenes such as family holidays on the South coast as well as nostalgic images of the original Morris Café and stores’ advertising from the 1930s – all designed to bring back happy memories. There is a potting shed in one corner complete with blooms and even a welly rack for residents to take out into the garden.  A bright and spacious dining room has been created and decorated to resemble the original Morris Café which sat at the top of Pride Hill and which, in its day, was renowned for its afternoon tea dances and the best cakes and service in town.   Here, afternoon tea will be served bringing back happy memories for residents, along with a number of lively events including food demonstrations. 

Everything inside reflects the individuality of its inhabitants – in fact it was residents themselves who named and christened the new Household Cherry Trees. To celebrate the name, a cherry tree has been planted to feature as a centrepiece in the patio garden and provide a glorious pink display of blooms each Spring and Summer.

Part of the brief when designing the new household was to create spaces where residents living with dementia could reminisce and remember and to provide them with interesting and sensory stimulation. One such item is the Morris Shop, a physical wooden shop front inlaid into the fabric of the household – handmade by the company’s Joinery Workshop – where residents will see familiar items on display from a Monopoly board from the ‘60s to a vintage camera and photographs.

Lucy Holl, our CEO said: “We are so pleased with how the new household has come together in terms of specialism, comfort and imagination.  Our ambition from the outset has been to create a dementia household known for contentment, security and for living life to the fullest it can be. Of course, the key ingredient in delivering the best possible experience lies in the care provided with staff who have been specially trained to work in Cherry Trees.”

Staff are benefitting from comprehensive bespoke training delivered by professional external trainer, Clive Ireland, from Training Solutions & Developments.  The intensive programme, which adheres to the key principles of Morris Care’s ‘Cedar Philosophy’, focuses on personal wellbeing as well as clinical nursing requirements, aiming to reduce anxiety and stress.  It can lead to real therapeutic benefits with innovative, creative ideas tailored to each individual’s needs, medical background and life story. This training empowers staff with the maximum knowledge and understanding of caring for those living with memory loss. It encompasses the full life journey for these residents and provides the guidance, practical strategies and abilities to deliver genuine person-centred care.

To find out more about living at Cherry Trees, please contact Justine Ellory on 07525 909172 or email: [email protected]

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