“We look forward to working with more care homes across the borough of Wigan through this thriving partnership, using our vast and varied archive collections to help stimulate long term memories of people living with dementia.”
Chris Ready, Wigan Council’s portfolio holder for Communities and Neighbourhoods
In 2023, Archives: Wigan & Leigh initiated a series of Reminiscence Workshops in local care homes drawing on their archive collection which covers 800 years of history.
They hoped to use their collections to reach new audiences and improve the health and wellbeing of local people living with dementia. They also aspired to support the Council’s priority of achieving health and wellbeing impacts as part of Wigan Borough’s Leisure and Cultural Activity Strategy 2013-2023.
Thirteen one-hour long Reminiscence sessions have been run across four care homes to date, with between ten and fifteen participants attending each session. At least two care home staff are present while the Engagement Officer, Carmen Álvaro, takes participants through a series of visual, audio and physical activities with copies of archival records and loaned museum objects. Tea and cakes are also included!
Activities typically include: looking at, discussing and handling replicas of archival documents such as photographs, postcards and recipe cards; reading or listening to excerpts from oral history transcripts, books, or Wigan Archive’s Heritage Magazine; and handling of carefully selected museum or game objects. In one session, care home residents visited the archive where several displays of archival documents were spread throughout the tour, providing useful stopping points for discussion.
In 2024, the Engagement Officer worked with Wigan’s archive team to create themed Reminiscence sessions that reflected care home residents’ interests using collections from the archives. These themes included childhood, holidays, celebrations, Remembrance Day, fashion, work, and Valentine’s Day. The themed Reminiscence sessions have been well received, being highly inclusive and suitable for all residents, regardless of their levels of mobility and/or dementia.
The residents enjoy the opportunity that each session brings to interact with others through storytelling. The replica collection items and related discussions stimulate their long-term memory and boost their mood, leading to lasting positive effects. The success of these sessions, with both residents and care home staff, has led to requests for repeat visits. As a result, the Reminiscence sessions are now included as a regular feature in the service’s future engagement plans.