Our First Dementia Cafe
Our first Dementia Cafe held at Pendle Brook was a huge success, we wanted to thank everyone who attended and came for a coffee and chat. It was a great event, we got to see members of the local community pop their heads in to speak with like-minded individuals and enjoy each other’s company. Our staff were joined by AgeUK representatives Damian and Heather, who enjoyed a coffee and helped us answer questions about how to support those living with dementia. Alongside our own reading material, they provided additional documented support. If you’re interested in taking a copy for yourself, please let us know and we may be able to hold a copy for you.
We were treated to a remarkable performance from one of our community attendees, we interrupted our playlist to allow a star to shine as a solo artist performed various hits from the 1960s including; “Smile” (Nat King Cole), “Danny Boy” and “The Rose”. The morning was made better thanks to our chefs, who offered bacon sandwiches and breakfast pastries as a vegetarian alternative for all event-goers, and they’ll be pleased to know that the tray came back empty!
As part of our event, we had some Dementia Friendly Activities available with Pendle Brook’s Activity coordinator Claire Rothwell. First up we made some Bird Feeders using some craft materials like Pipe Cleaners and some hooped cereal which we hung around the garden, we also offered some herb planters to guests for them to take home and plant in their own homes. As conversations got in full swing we spoke about numerous amount of topics including our favourite singers, and favourite foods and even had conversations about some great footballers other the years over a game of top trumps.
Finally, we had a special guest in Hyndburn Mayor Abdul Khan who was gracious enough to visit us and speak with our staff, residents and the AgeUK team to discuss the importance of social engagement and working with the community to ensure inclusion for all.
Our Dementia Cafe isn’t a defined element, your feedback is vital for shaping how we progress, working together we can craft a cafe that works for everyone. We want this recurring event to really help pull our local community together and stand hand in hand in helping those who are living with Dementia. So get in touch and let us know, do you want more dementia-friendly activities, was having an AgeUK representative helpful or did you just enjoy getting out and speaking with like-minded individuals? Let’s make our next event even better!
If you would like to learn more about Dementia, you can find help and support from AgeUK here.