Residents at a care home in Plymouth say that regular visits from pupils of nearby St Budeaux Foundation School are ‘a breath of fresh air.’
The Year 4 pupils come to see their older friends at Freshfields care home as part of the Archie Project, a scheme that links local schools with people with dementia.
Freshfields’ activities co-ordinator Paul Hutt said: “This is the fourth year that St Budeaux children have been coming here and our residents just love their visits.
“They sit side by side and enjoy a whole different variety of activities when they come here.
“On their most recent visit they did seasonal arts and crafts activities.”
The Archie Project is a project created to reduce the stigma and fear associated with the word dementia that links to local primary schools, care homes, sheltered housing schemes, businesses, and community members.
Swedish designed and purpose-built, Freshfields in Agaton Road, Plymouth, is a specialist 38-bed dementia care facility which overlooks the Tamar Estuary.