Making a Difference this Dementia Action Week: How Mersey Cares is supporting people living with dementia

How Mersey Cares is supporting people living with dementia

We are proud to support Dementia Action Week 2025, running from 19–25 May, with this year’s national focus on promoting timely and accurate dementia diagnoses.

Dementia Action Week is a powerful reminder of the importance of compassion, understanding, and practical support for people living with dementia. At Mersey Cares, we’re proud to stand alongside individuals, families, and care teams to make life more manageable, meaningful, and connected for those affected by dementia.

This year, we’re highlighting how donations and funding have helped us support Mersey Care Later Life and Memory Services with resources and initiatives that are making a real difference to patients and their families and carers.

Meaningful resources for comfort and connection

Charitable funds have been used to purchase a range of specialist dementia resources for our wards. These include dementia dolls and fidget items, which provide therapeutic and calming benefits for patients, as well as easy-to-read clocks that help with time orientation—especially useful for those experiencing confusion during different times of the day. We’ve also funded dementia-friendly door wraps and murals, supported groups for people with Young Onset Dementia (YOD), and purchased items to help make therapy groups more accessible.

We’re collaborating closely with our Later Life and Memory Services teams to provide ongoing support, explore new fundraising opportunities, and bring to life a range of exciting projects designed to enhance patient engagement and improve overall experiences.

The Admiral Nurses' Lending Library

One of the most exciting projects we've been able to fund is a lending library, championed by our Admiral Nurses in Halton and Knowsley. This fantastic new initiative offers a wide selection of dementia-friendly resources and activities. Families and carers can borrow everything from memory games and puzzles to sensory aids and interactive books.

The Lending Library empowers families to continue engaging with their loved ones in meaningful ways outside of the care setting, helping to reduce feelings of helplessness and promote joyful moments at home.

Jan McGuinness, Clinical Team Leader of Admiral Nurses Knowsley and Halton took the time to show us the lending library and discussed the many ways its helping patients and their families. 

"The library offers a range of useful resources that we can use instead of, or alongside medication, to support patients as well as their carers. They can take away items and see which ones work for them. The dolls really are a fantastic resource. The maternal instinct comes through with females and they can be a great distraction tool. One patient made such a bond with a doll; her family noted it was really helping with her care and so we were able to guide them in the purchase of buying the same doll of her own."

Creating a dementia-friendly environment

Something as simple as finding your own room can be a daily challenge for someone living with dementia, especially within hospital or care settings where the environment can often feel unfamiliar and disorientating. Funding has enabled Kingsley and Fern Wards to introduce door wraps to create a less clinical, more homely space for patients.

“It makes it more cheery and gives the corridors a bit of soul. People can connect the colours to their room, and it has helped prevent people from going into other patient rooms." 

Following the success of the dementia-friendly door wraps, the charity went on to fund a mural for the prayer room on Fern Ward, which has now been installed—transforming the space into a warm, welcoming room with a clear sense of purpose. The mural serves as the focal point of this small, thoughtfully designed room, which offers a quiet, multi-faith space for patients, their families, and staff. It provides an ideal setting for contemplation and reflection away from the busy ward environment.

Sara Doyle, Christian Chaplain at Mersey Care who has been involved with installing murals at other sanctuary sites across the Trust, told us how thrilled she is with the difference it has made to the sacred space at Fern Ward. 

  "The mural has pulled the room together beautifully. The space is a place that is quiet, safe and calming and to have this sanctuary space to offer to patients, their families and staff is special. This mural image unites all of the sacred sanctuaries across the Trust."

Ward Manager, Sarah McKeown, said:

"The space was previously just four white walls which felt a little stark. The mural has defined the room and helped create a sacred space which can be really useful for families seeking time away from the ward. It can be a really difficult time for them, so to be able to bring them to this room with its calm feel, and offer them a moment to pause and have a cup of tea can be really impactful."

Making therapy sessions more inclusive

Our charity was approached for funding to support the delivery of a Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) group at Willow House. The funding helped the team to purchase items to make the sessions more inclusive, user friendly and adaptable, improving the patient experience and allowing them to get the most out of the therapy.

"The whole point of CST is to stimulate the brain,” said Rachel Albrecht, LLAMS Occupational Therapist at Willow House in Whiston. “If patients can’t access the information easily, that can prevent the therapy from being as effective.”

“The new board is more accessible. It breaks down barriers as I can take it over to patients. The board is a really simple piece of equipment that has been a fantastic support. I can wheel it over to them, they can write on it, they can interact more easily; it improves engagement.”

A long table was also purchased which helps during craft sessions and has enabled the therapy to take place in the conservatory where patients are familiar with their surroundings. Previously, the tables used were small and round and located in the staff area.

“Both the table and the whiteboard have made a huge impact. For creative therapy, our patients can share tools around the table more easily than they have before. Having items in front of them means they can have more agency in the decisions that they make.”

The power of your continued support

None of these initiatives would be possible without the generosity of our supporters. Every donation to Mersey Cares helps us go beyond what the NHS can typically fund — reaching into the heart of our mental health and community services to support dignity, comfort, and human connection.

As we mark Dementia Action Week, we want to thank every person who has supported our charity and helped us bring these initiatives to life. We’re currently working towards setting up a dedicated Later Life and Memory Services Fund to fundraise specifically for essential items and wellbeing support for people affected by dementia and their families across the region.