Last week staff and residents of St Catherine’s enjoyed a rare treat. Steve and Geraldine from Beamish Museum called to see them and brought with them a selection of the smaller, more portable items from the Beamish collection.
The items which included a flat iron, an early electric iron, sunlight soap, a poss stick*, a small Victorian China dog ornament and much more, triggered lots of memories and conversations about the ‘old days’.
The collection evoked vivid memories for residents Susan Callaghan, Frank Gillender and Nan Burke of their younger days, which they were happy to share with Steve and Geraldine. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing about the past and how things have changed since their youth.
Further visits are planned for the future and Richard plans similar sessions working with a group called ‘Mind Active’ from Bedlington, who specialise in working with people suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
*Note: For those of you who have never come across a poss stick, it was used for washing clothes in a tub in the days before washing machines became affordable.