Leading UK not-for-profit care group Greensleeves Care has launched Keys To Open Minds – a campaign to de-bunk common myths about life in care homes.

The guerrilla-style community outreach campaign, which launches in time for Care Home Open Week 2023 (26 June – 2 July), is set to share more than a thousand myth-busting messages with local communities and businesses all over England – from London and Ipswich to Hastings and the Isle of Wight.

Shona King, director of business development at Greensleeves Care, said: “The main aim of our Keys to Open Minds campaign is to prompt better conversations, reduce stigma around care homes and encourage people to reconsider their preconceptions.

“Misconceptions around care homes abound – from the quality of the food to how residents are supported to live with dignity. As our own data shows, the reality is that for the vast majority of residents, care homes are a positive, much-valued chapter in people’s journey through later life.

“Long-standing myths are damaging not only for the sector, but for the thousands of families looking for specialist, 24-hour care for their loved ones. They want to feel confident and empowered in the choices they make. At Greensleeves Care, we believe that feeling empowered starts with having a myth-free, more accurate idea of what it is like to join a care home community.”

Teams and residents from Greensleeves Care’s homes all over the country are going out into their communities, placing keys in landmarks and public areas and sharing them with businesses. The sustainably-produced wooden keys carry tags with messages that spell out common myths around care homes, and challenge them with facts. The keys are designed to create intrigue and to encourage people of all ages to engage with the reality of care home life, join the conversation on social media at #KeysToOpenMinds or visit their local Greensleeves Care home to see first-hand.