Care Home Launches New Dementia Café To Raise Awareness

Signature at Coombe Hill Manor’s monthly sessions aim to provide a safe and relaxing space to support anyone in the community living with or impacted by dementia.

To raise awareness of and provide greater support for individuals living with dementia in the Kingston area, a local care home launched a new ‘Memory Café’ initiative. Signature at Coombe Hill Manor’s first event was held at the home in the form of an afternoon tea, with sessions planned to take place monthly thereafter.

Representatives from the Kingston Community Library Service, a service for people who may be physically unable to get to the library due to health-related or other reasons, paid the residents a visit.

Memory Cafés offer a place to socialise, learn more about dementia and the wide array of local services available, meet others with the same experience to develop a peer support network, and enjoy something new each session. The concept was originally created by the Alzheimer’s Society and has since been tailored to meet the needs of people living with or caring for somebody with dementia.

Signature at Coombe Hill Manor’s inaugural event included people from the local area who are living with dementia.

The sessions are open to anyone living in the local community who either has dementia, is supporting a loved one living with dementia, or who simply wants to find out more information about dementia.

Mark Luxford, Client Liaison Manager at Signature at Coombe Hill Manor, said: “We were delighted that this first session was such a great success as it has been a few months in the planning. We’re working hard to be as active as possible in supporting those in the local community who are living with dementia or supporting a loved one who is.”

“It can be a hugely stressful time for an individual and their family, which is why we’re helping build a peer support network, offering expert advice, and simply providing a safe space for free so people can get out of their homes and relax and engage with the wider community.”

“This is a cause that’s close to our hearts at Signature at Coombe Hill Manor, and the team are highly motivated to help make sure people living with dementia can enjoy the best quality of life whilst their families receive the support they need to thrive.”