Celebrating dementia-friendly spaces for patients

Patients and staff at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) are benefiting from two newly refurbished dementia-friendly spaces at the John Radcliffe Hospital, thanks to support from Oxford Hospitals Charity.

The Quiet Room and Patient Activity Room, based within the Complex Medical Unit (CMU), have been redesigned to create a calmer environment for older and often frail patients, some of whom also live with dementia.

The £24,000 project was funded by the charity and officially marked during Dementia Action Week (18-24 May).

To celebrate the opening, patients and families, as well as staff from OUH and the charity, came together for a coffee morning to learn more about the new facilities and the activities now available on the ward.

The Quiet Room is where Acute Rehab Support Workers can help patients in a calm space away from the busy ward environment.

Ellie Saxon, Cognitive Frailty Lead Nurse at OUH, said: "The new Quiet Room makes a huge difference for patients experiencing delirium and other cognitive symptoms of dementia, providing a calm and peaceful space. It also gives us an appropriate space for emotional or difficult conversations with patients and their families."

She also highlighted the impact of the new Patient Activity Room, which provides staff a dedicated space to deliver cognitive stimulation and physical activity sessions.

Ellie said: "The ward's elderly patient group often have long hospital stays, and this makes keeping them active, both mentally and physically, really important to maintain wellbeing.

"Many of our patients within complex medicine are living with dementia, and coming into hospital can be particularly challenging for them. This room gives space for socialising, like having a patient café, and activities with other patients help keep them more engaged and mentally and physically active."

Both rooms are equipped with large touchscreen devices preloaded with music, films, games, audiobooks and historical content, designed to support reminiscence and rehabilitation therapy.

Eillie said: "It's a huge improvement, so we are extremely grateful for the support for Oxford Hospitals Charity and their generous donors for fully funding this project.

Krystal Harry, Programme Assistant at Oxford Hospitals Charity, said: "The event was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the transformation of these two important spaces and recognise the work that has gone into bringing the project to life.

"We know that for some, hospitals aren’t simply a place to get better but can be home for a long time, and we are delighted to support projects like this that make them feel more homely and comfortable."

Felicity Taylor-Drewe, Chief Operating Officer at OUH, said: "It's great to see the collaboration between Oxford Hospitals Charity and the fantastic team on the Complex Medical Unit, working together to make time in hospital more therapeutic for our older patients and those living with dementia. It's such important work and the enthusiasm for these improvements was really clear in both the staff team and with patients I met on the day."