Dementia Carers’ Day Celebrated At Belong Wigan

Residents at specialist care village, Belong Wigan in Platt Bridge, ‘felt the love’ at a heart themed afternoon tea and dementia support session, to which family members of residents and carers of older people living with dementia were invited, to mark National Dementia Carers’ Day.

National Dementia Carers’ Day was established to recognise and support the crucial role of informal carers, who look after individuals living with dementia.

Belong Wigan Dementia Champions, who have expert knowledge and skills in the care of people with dementia, held a drop in session where they offered advice and support to carers and discussed individuals’ experiences of dementia.

An afternoon tea, boasting a menu of cakes and sandwiches, followed the session and The Venue, where the tea was held, was decorated with old pictures and a selection of memory boxes. Musical accompaniment was provided by a guest singer who performed songs from residents’ favourite eras. The old pictures and songs acted as a form of reminiscence therapy- beneficial for people living with dementia, stimulating cognitive ability as well as being therapeutic.

Experience Coordinator at Belong Wigan, Marie Calderbank, said: “It is very important to recognise the invaluable work done by carers and we hope that our support session provided useful guidance about caring for individuals living with dementia. It was lovely to see carers and residents enjoying afternoon tea together with many residents remembering the lyrics to old classics performed by our guest singer!”