Residents of care homes in Bradford are preparing to take a trip down memory lane at special reminiscence events, being held during Memory Share Week.

Memory Share Week this week is a Bupa Care Homes initiative which aims to encourage everyone to do more to capture family memories by highlighting the important role reminiscence plays in the lives of older people.

To help families capture those moments, Bupa has created a Map of Life tool available at bupa.co.uk/mapoflife.

Knowles Court Residential and Nursing Home, in Holme Wood, is holding a local history-themed reminiscence party and is inviting members of the local community to join staff and residents on Thursday. The highlight of the event will be a visit from staff at The Bankfield Museum who will do a memory sharing session with the residents.

Home manager Alison James said: “Talking about the good old days and sharing happy memories from times gone by is something all our residents love to do and they have no trouble in telling us a few stories!

“What’s great is that they can all get involved with reminiscing, no matter what their age.”

The Dales Nursing Home, in Thornbury, is also hosting a memory-sharing party on Thursday from 2pm.

Siobhan Drane, Bupa Care Homes’ community and partnerships manager, said: “Our staff recognise the importance of encouraging residents to share memories, which can make a significant difference to their wellbeing.

“It is surprising how little we actually know about our nearest and dearest, and so we want as many people as possible to make a special effort to share their most important memories with the ones who matter, with the help of our Map of Life. It’s based on a tool all our homes use to find out as much as possible about our residents, so that we can provide really personalised care.”

Memory Share Week is also being supported by Age Exchange, a national charity that specifically works with older people to improve their quality of life by valuing their reminiscences through dramas and documentaries.