Living with dementia can be incredibly difficult, not only for the person it is affecting, but also their loved ones and carers.
The Memory Café offers a place where people can come together in a supportive and friendly environment with others facing similar circumstances.
Each memory café is run by two Home Instead Care Professionals and a team of friendly volunteers. We also have bi-monthly visits from the Alzheimer’s Society and Community Mental Health Team.
The memory cafe not only benefits the person living with dementia, but also provides a haven for people who have responsibility for caring for their loved one. Being a carer can have a detrimental impact on mental health, so it is important for carers to be able to ‘offload’ with people who are in the same boat.
We asked a few of our Memory Café members about the positive impact these sessions have on their lives. Janet cares for her husband, Peter (73) who has been living with dementia for the past six years.
“This memory café is my lifeline; I don’t know what I’d do without it. We come every Tuesday, and I honestly wish it was on every day!. My husband John has been living with dementia since 2018, and his condition is slowly deteriorating. We started coming to the memory café two years ago, and over time we have made so many lovely friends. We go out for lunch together a few times a week, and we have even booked a trip to Spain for the summer! Due to John’s condition, our plans are always made in pencil, as it depends on his mood and state of mind on that day, but I always try to encourage him to participate. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always go to plan, but I look forward to the next planned event and keep my fingers crossed! The memory café is a great place for me to offload and talk to other carers about the difficulties we all encounter on a day-to-day basis. John really enjoys coming here and gets involved with the Love to Move programme.”
The Memory Café takes place at Sacred Heart Community Centre every Tuesday morning. A safe space provided by local charity Heart of Tamworth.
