Care Home “Pub” Is Perfect Romantic Venue For Valentine’s

A Bupa care home in Glasgow hosted a unique Valentine’s Day lunch for residents and their loved ones – using its own traditional ‘pub’ as the venue.

Bupa’s Highgate Care Home, in Uddingston, features “The Bar”, which was decorated and used as the setting for a romantic evening for residents and their other halves, who live outside the home, on February 14^th.

Although the pub is not a licensed premises, it is fully equipped for social activities with a snooker table, dominoes and a large projector screen on which the residents often watch their favourite sports. It also comes complete with traditional beer taps, pint glasses and place mats to help create an authentic atmosphere.

The care home ‘pub’ aims to provide a recognisable social environment for residents to relive the past and encourage the sharing of memories and stories.

The Valentine’s lunch proved to be a huge hit with the loved-up couples, who were treated to a to a traditional meal of steak pie and, of course, a range of drinks from “The Bar”.

Michelle Ferrey, Home Manager at Bupa’s Highgate Care Home, said “Valentine’s is such a special day for couples and it’s no different whatever age you are. We wanted to make sure our residents could celebrate with their loved ones so we brought the occasion to them.

“The ‘pub’ was the perfect place for the romantic afternoon as it is a comfortable and familiar social setting for our residents and really helps them reconnect with old memories, such as going out for dinner and drinks.

“It delivers a creative form of therapy for our residents, especially those living with dementia and has become so popular that we currently use it for all manner of activities and special events – from a quiet Friday night in to celebratory family occasions.

“At Bupa, we want our residents to have the best care possible and having Valentine’s Day in the ‘pub’ is just one example of how we are developing new ways to improve their quality of life.”

Dementia takes various forms and can leave people living with the condition feeling confused, isolated or distressed. In some cases they will not recognise even close relatives and loved ones.

However, research has repeatedly shown the benefits of helping those with the condition to channel and focus on positive memories from their lives.

Michelle believes “The Bar” helps to improve cognitive stimulation for Highgate’s residents living with dementia.

She said: “This concept improves the living experience for residents by providing extra cognitive stimulation which inevitably improves their mood and general sense of wellbeing.

“Families can also benefit from spending time in an enjoyable setting which enhances the visit to their relative or friend – helping to create a friendly, relaxing atmosphere for all parties.

“Spending time in the ‘pub’ can also improve co-ordination – even if this just involves a resident raising a pint glass.”