Mansfield District Council is marking Dementia Awareness Week with an Action Day on 22nd May in the Community Hub at its extra care housing scheme, Poppy Fields.

The event begins at 1.30pm and includes a demonstration by prize-winning local ballroom dancers Harley Booth and Kimi Wielgus and Bailey and Daisy Booth. There will also be Fitstep session, raffle and cake sale.

The awareness week, from 20th May to 26th May, is organised nationally by the Alzheimer’s Society. Poppy Fields will mark the week with the action day and at its other regular events held during the week.

The council’s Poppy Fields complex of 64 bungalows, houses and apartments, developed and designed by Mansfield District Council, opened in 2016.

There are 48 purpose-built properties for people with a variety of support and care needs, some of whom may need access to 24-hour response and support but in an independent living environment supported by onsite carers.

The £8.4m complex forms part of Nottinghamshire County Council’s strategy to improve choice for older adults and an increased range of alternatives to residential care across the county.

Poppy Fields includes 10 bungalows for people with dementia, built around a peaceful shared courtyard designed to create a calming atmosphere.

The bungalows have been designed to make everyday tasks easier for people with dementia including emergency pull alarms in each room and sensors to detect trips or falls, or residents wandering out of their homes unassisted at night.

Other features are level access showers, wheelchair friendly layouts, the extensive use of natural light, clear doors on kitchen units to help residents find items, and rooms are laid out to ensure the bathroom is easy to reach from both the bedroom and living room.

At the centre of the development is the Community Hub, which provides a variety of activities to help improve social inclusion and combat loneliness. They include:

Lunch club with karaoke sessions led by a Poppy Fields resident.
Craft afternoons, with baking, gentle exercises and games two days a week.
An annual summer fair and special events to mark Burn’s Night, Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Easter, St George’s Day, Chinese New Year, Bonfire Night, and Christmas.
A reminiscence room.

People can apply for a home to rent at Poppy Fields, when they become available, at the council’s Homefinder service at www.amhomefinder.co.ukwww.amhomefinder.co.uk

Sarah Troman, head of housing at the council, said: “Poppy Fields is highly regarded by councils across the country and seen as leading the way in how to provide the best kind of housing for this country’s increasingly elderly population.

“The Community Hub at Poppy Fields is central to offering tenants a safe space where they can meet other people and join in a variety of activities. No one at Poppy Fields ever needs to feel lonely or isolated because there is always so much going on.”