Dementia Care Activities Across Our Care Homes: World Alzheimer’s Month 2026

At Eagle View in Scarborough, Nicol chose five things to tell his story. A school trophy from 1969, the year he scored the winning goal. His Celtic shirt. A watch for 30 years of service at a bakery in Port Glasgow. A photo from his wedding day in June 1977. And a mug, his very first gift from his grandson. His wife, Karen, still visits him regularly.

Moments like this shaped World Alzheimer’s Month at Minster Care Group. Throughout September, our care homes, from Truro to Scarborough, used dementia care activities to put the person first. Residents shared their life stories, used skills they have had for decades and turned their homes purple for World Alzheimer’s Day on 21 September. Here is what that looked like, home by home and story by story.

Every Life Has a Story: Reminiscence in Our Homes

Reminiscence at our care homes was a way to share memories through photos, objects, music, and conversation.

Eagle View families helped residents choose five objects or photos for “My Life in 5 Objects”. John’s five included his father’s colliery brass band and holidays steering a boat on the Norfolk Broads.

Garswood House in Wigan began its Memory Box Mission, aiming for a personal box for every resident. At The Cedars in Holmes Chapel, residents built a memory tree, writing a memory from childhood, school, adult life and the recent past on each leaf.

Holcroft Grange in Culcheth asked one question: “If you could do it again, what would it be?” Answers ranged from becoming a parent again to 66 years of marriage and trips to the USA and Cuba. One resident remembered returning to the hotel where they spent their honeymoon.

At The Hawthorns in Wilmslow, residents talked about working lives in housekeeping, banking and road haulage. Red Hill Care Centre in Worcester made a “What I Used to Be” board, and Cheaney Court in Desborough set photos of residents’ younger selves beside pictures taken today.

Purpose in Everyday Moments

Sometimes the most ordinary jobs bring back the best memories. During Household Heroes sessions at Eagle View and Littleport Grange, residents folded towels and flannels, watered plants, set tables, and helped serve meals. These are tasks many of them did for their own families for years, and doing them again gave people a real job and a reason to chat.

At Eagle View, sorting the socks turned into the most popular task of the afternoon, mostly because nobody could find the last matching pair.

Choice mattered just as much. At Eagle View’s Resident Hour DJ, residents picked the music, and the 1950s won by a clear margin. Blow-up microphones and a balloon game soon followed. At The Cedars, residents vote each week on one activity they want to do, and that week they chose prize bingo.

As Charlotte at Eagle View put it: “For someone living with dementia, having someone take the time to sit, listen and show genuine interest can make such a difference.”

Music, Senses and the Taste of Home

Music reached people in every corner of the group. Holcroft Grange welcomed Big Al from Music in Mind, then ended World Alzheimer’s Day with cardio drumming and a performance from Just The Two Of Us. The Cedars hosted singer Esther and invited the local church to sing favourite hymns. Turnpike Court in Sandbach enjoyed a sing-along with Tasha Pop.

Scent and taste played their part too. Eagle View residents made scent bags with dried petals and a choice of lavender, cedar, eucalyptus or mint, then tucked them into their wardrobes. Red Hill Care Centre, residents played Guess the Scent. Littleport Grange hosted Teas From Around Britain, with parkin, Bakewell slices, Eccles cakes and a fresh cream Victoria sponge.

Outdoors, residents at Littleport Grange and Garswood House planted forget-me-not seeds. For some, it brought back their own gardens or years working on the land. Eagle View planted tulip and muscari bulbs for a Memory Garden that should flower next spring. Visits from Bertie the dog, a guinea pig and other gentle animals brought plenty of calm and smiles.

How Meaningful Activities Support Wellbeing

Meaningful activities are everyday things that connect a person with who they are: their memories, skills, senses and the people they love. In a care home, that might be folding laundry, planting bulbs, choosing music or looking through old photographs. The aim is comfort, purpose and connection, not simply filling the day.

September showed the six kinds our teams use most:

• Life stories: memory boxes, memory trees and treasured objects
• Familiar tasks: folding, sorting, watering and setting tables
• Music: live singers, sing-alongs and residents choosing the playlist
• The senses: scents, tastes and textures linked to happy memories
• Nature: seeds, bulbs and walks in the garden
• Community: schools, nurseries, clubs and families joining in

Littleport Grange’s Walk & Talk sessions, for example, welcome every resident, whether they walk on their own, with support or in a wheelchair. A short stroll and a good conversation can make an afternoon feel brighter.

Going Purple for World Alzheimer’s Day

On 21 September, our homes turned purple from breakfast to bedtime, with blackberries and blueberries at breakfast and purple shortbread at tea. Guests from the home’s Lunch Club joined in, thanks to friends at Littleport Ex-Services and Social Club.

Cheaney Court spent the morning making purple mosaics, then went on a purple hunt around the home and garden. Wealstone in Chester served purple sponge cakes topped with handmade forget-me-not flowers. Garswood House held a purple afternoon tea with residents’ loved ones, and Eagle View became a sea of purple, with residents piping icing onto purple buns.

Amberley House in Truro had started the month early, with purple nails and a purple exercise class. Hourigan House in Leigh wore purple all month and made time for open conversations about how Alzheimer’s affects families. Elm Lodge in Greenford played memory games over a cream tea, and The Lakes in Towcester made artwork and cards.

Family and Community Connection

Some of the happiest moments came from visitors. Pupils from Truro High School spent time with residents at Amberley House, who loved having young faces around the home. Children from Dunkies Day Nursery joined Holcroft Grange for games and songs, then everyone pressed their handprints onto one big poster. Local schoolchildren also helped with crafts and games at Garswood House.

Families were part of the month too. Many helped put together the “My Life in 5 Objects” boards at Eagle View, sharing photos and memories their loved ones could no longer tell in full. At Garswood House and Cheaney Court, relatives joined the World Alzheimer’s Day celebrations.

Connection reached beyond each home’s front door. Eagle View residents wrote postcards to our care homes across the country, each carrying a short, warm message. Small gestures like these remind residents, families and staff that they belong to something bigger.

Raising Money for Alzheimer’s Society

At Grenville Court in Horsford, Norfolk, the Forget-Me-Not Charity Ball raised £261 for Alzheimer’s Society. Residents and guests enjoyed a glass of bubbly, a three-course meal and live music from harp guitarist Paul Thompson. Ronnie and Irene were crowned the Grenville King and Queen.

On the same day, the home celebrated Unit Manager Chloe and Activities Coordinator Shauna. In August, they completed a tandem skydive that raised £2,633 for Alzheimer’s Society.

Astbury Lodge held a cake and coffee morning with a quiz and a raffle.

Throughout September, we pledged £1 to Alzheimer’s Society for every like and £2 for every share on our homes’ campaign posts.