Kingston Vale care home launches dementia friendly hairdressing sessions

A care home in Kingston Vale is launching a dementia-friendly hairdressing experience for the local community.

Residents at Care UK’s Sherwood Grange, on Robin Hood Lane, have been treated to haircuts, head massages, and 60s bouncy blow drys, from local hairdresser, Sharon Powell, for almost eight years, and now the home is offering the service to the local community.

Local hairdresser, Sharon Powell, has created a hairdressing experience that puts those living with dementia at ease, by creating a multi-sensory experience using touch and physical contact. 

Those local to Sherwood Grange can now book an appointment which are available every Tuesday between 10am and 1pm, and on Wednesdays, between 10:30am and 5:30pm, at a reasonable cost. 

A trip to the hairdressers can have many benefits for the wellbeing of someone living with dementia, as it can help to maintain their appearance and ensure they look their best, but also impact how they feel and their own identity. 

The experience also aims to create an atmosphere akin to the days when many residents would have headed to the salon with their friends 50 or 60 years ago, providing a wonderful opportunity to reminisce on their younger years. 

Sharon Powell said: “After 25 years of working with older people and people living with dementia, it continues to be the best part of my job when I see a visible change in the residents at Sherwood Grange who live with dementia before and after their haircuts. The most rewarding part of my role is being able to spend time with each individual to make them feel special and I am so excited to be offering this to the local Kingston community – a haircut really can make a magical difference!”

Kristina Jacunskiene, Home Manager at Sherwood Grange, said: “We are extremely grateful to Sharon for regularly joining the residents to offer her dementia-friendly hairdressing experience – and to now be offering her service to those in the local community. 

“Haircare provides a wonderful sensory experience that can bring back memories for those living with dementia, while improving residents’ self-image and self-worth. Hairdressers are typically busy, stuffy, and noisy which can be overwhelming, which is why services like this are so important."

Sherwood Grange has been designed to encourage residents to live active and fulfilling lives, while remaining as independent as possible in a safe environment. The ‘good-rated, state-of-the-art care home features a cinema, hair salon and art studio, and incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room, to facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.