Those in social care jobs that are working with people that are suffering from conditions such as Alzheimer's, may want to follow in the footsteps of one care home that has dramatically improved the lives of their residents.

Staff at the Coombe End Court home in Marlborough Wiltshire have created a 1950s themed room, to remind the residents of happier times. The 'Reminiscence Room' features Bakelite furniture, a gramophone and a typewriter.

Carers say sitting in the room helps to calm patients down as it transports them back to the 'good old days' and evokes memories from the past.

The care home is run by the Orders of St John Care Trust and caters for 60 residents, a third of those at the home are suffering from severe dementia. Bosses decided to redecorate the lounge in the style of a 1950s home so staff appealed for donations and kept an eye out for items in antique stores and at local markets.

A range of objects were collected including a vacuum cleaner, three flying ducks and a post-war pram. The only clue to the room's real age is the plug sockets in the walls.

The home says their techniques put them ahead of Government calls to reduce the use of anti-psychotic drugs given to dementia sufferers. Last month, a Government commissioned review last month found 145,000 people suffering from dementia were wrongly prescribed anti-psychotic drugs.

Claire Walters the home's unit manager told the Daily Mail: "Years ago if somebody was upset and distressed in the night, you'd give them a table but now we bring them into these rooms and we talk to them. We go over their life history and within an hour they're completely calm and happy."