Dementia nurse specialist takes up cycling challenge

A dementia care nurse specialist will attempt a 50-mile cycle ride next month to raise funds for a ‘memory wall’ for patients at her hospital.

Colchester General Hospital nurse Maisey Dear said the wall will include old photographs of the town and pictures of everyday items from the 1950s such as a television and confectionery, along with photographs of iconic people from the era including Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe.

Memories and conversations

Ms Dear said she is confident patients with dementia or delirium will benefit.

‘The concept of memory walls has been around for a while but until recently they have tended to be in residential and nursing homes rather than acute hospitals,' she added.

‘Staff and relatives will be able to walk with patients past the memory wall together. The photographs may invoke memories and prompt conversations about what the images mean to them.’

On July 2, Ms Dear, who has never cycled more than five miles before, will attempt to complete the 50-mile route of the Essex Castle bike ride.

The money raised by Maisey Dear will be donated to the dementia fund of the Colchester Hospitals Charity.