April 2014 – The Royal Star & Garter Home in Solihull has purchased a selection of Rempods for the Home.

Remembrance Pods or ‘Rempods’ are a reminiscence tool for the elderly and for people living with dementia. In keeping with the Charity’s mission to help residents live life to the full, the Rempods have already proven to be a popular and valuable asset.

The Rempods are pop-up reminiscence rooms that transform the space around them into a therapeutic and calming environment, which can help to stimulate memories. Using the Pods encourages conversation amongst residents and assists them with remembering their lives. One of the new Pods was generously donated to the Home by the Rotary Club of Solihull St Alphege.

Remembrance Pods are the invention of entrepreneur, Richard Ernest. Richard thought of the idea after visiting a care home back in 2009. He was struck by how the residents living with dementia were often living in the past. After appearing on the BBC2 television show, Dragon’s Den, Richard managed to secure a £100,000 deal to develop his idea.

Currently, eight different versions of the Rempod are available, including a pop-up Dance Hall, Cinema, Kitchen and decade-specific themes, ranging from the 1950s to 1970s. The Solihull Home has a Shop, a Bar and a Cinema.

The residents enjoy using them and Mark Bebbington, a nurse at The Royal Star & Garter Home in Solihull, said: “When I first came for a look around the Home it felt a little like Santa’s Grotto. I loved the excitement of exploring for the first time all the alcoves and lounges, it occurred to me that some of our residents must experience that wonder each day. I thought the Shop (Rempod) was especially well thought out because it creates an environment within an environment. It is so well planned…from the decor on the walls and the jars of sweets, to the counter with its authentic till and scales. The period feel to it must be so comforting and reassuring to residents who, with their dementia, can often feel disorientated in our modern world. We use the Shop area most days to chat over coffee and cakes, or just eat some of the sweets from the old-fashioned sweet jars. It is an important and integral part of our Home.”