Around 1.8 million people in Germany live with dementia, struggling with memory loss and impaired thinking. In Duisburg, a nursing home has opened a pub to help residents recall cherished memories and feel at home.
00:00In this pub, there's nothing unusual about the merry atmosphere, the retro decor or the refreshments.
00:07But there is one thing. The RheintĂĽrchen happens to be inside a care home, catering to residents with severe dementia.
00:15What's special is that it brings people out of their shells.
00:19They sit there and laugh, laughing and having fun. Those are the most important things in life.
00:26For dementia patients like Christel Pieters, familiarity can be a fleetingly rare feeling.
00:32But this pub at the St. Nikolaus care home in Duisburg creates an environment that the patients recognise from bygone days.
00:40The old school interior, the antique penny slot machine and the paraphernalia from the local football club are all part of what helps them feel at home.
00:49MSV, they were our team.
00:53Above all, though, there's the music, a selection of tunes from the days of the residents' youth.
00:58And there's nothing like a much-loved melody to help unearth some memories.
01:07It's always remarkable when people who barely speak join in and sing old songs, when they remember the words, and the music brings back memories and emotions.
01:19Maybe the song reminds them of a particular place or occasion.
01:23Or maybe they just sing because all of a sudden the words come flooding back and their heart is touched.
01:29Dementia is a degenerative condition that affects patients' memories, their powers of reason and recognition.
01:35In 2025, it's estimated that 1.8 million people in Germany have some form of the disease.
01:42That number is expected to rise to up to 2.8 million by 2050.
01:47That's not a nice picture of me.
01:50That's not you.
01:51Thank God.
01:52Moments of minor confusion are part of living with dementia.
01:57So, too, are more fundamental failures of cognition or total erasures of memory.
02:03She has a daughter, but she doesn't remember her.
02:08Sometimes, when she comes to visit, she doesn't recognize her.
02:12She had a great day today, but that can change at any time.
02:17By now, she's probably already forgotten that she was in there having such a great time.
02:22As well as brightening up the patients' days, the pub offers a spot of relief for the staff.
02:28Tina Baumgart has barely been off her feet all morning, fetching alcohol-free beer for one resident,
02:34soft drinks for others and the odd eggnog for Christel Peters.
02:38But in her job, landlord duties are a breeze.
02:43We nurses all think it's great.
02:48Let's be honest, if I'm in there with five, six, seven or eight people,
02:53then I don't have to run around all over the place making sure no one's doing anything silly.
03:01I'm having fun.
03:04You walk in, and you're immediately in conversation.
03:08A few others are sitting there, and it feels cozy.
03:12Here, I'm sitting in a corridor.
03:15There, I'm sitting in a pub.
03:17And where is it nicer? In a pub, of course.
03:20As the population ages, creative ways to cope will become ever more important.
03:27Just like the Zank Nikolaus' on-site social hub, the care home's very own pub.
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