Our clients are socialising at the dementia memory cafe

Socialising and the importance of friendship in helping to aid loneliness has never been more true since we started taking our clients to the Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch for the Dementia Memory Café.

This Café is run fortnightly on a Thursday, at the multi-purpose learning centre located in the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. The free and accessible for all session runs between 10:30am and 12:00pm and allows four of our lovely clients who regularly attend to socialise, chat, and simply smile!

Cake, coffee, tea and more cake!

The lovely ladies who attend are treated to their choice of tea or coffee, and a piece of cake or some biscuits. The cakes are always delicious and they are very generous with their portion sizes too! What is not to smile about?

Now, there’s more to this event than cake, we promise… Our clients are able to take part in various activities including word searches, colouring, a game of cards, or even some singing! The classic hits that are played each time we attend allow our clients to rejoice in song after polishing off their singing voices – you can’t beat a bit of Neil Diamond!

Each week is different and the activities allow our clients to keep their minds active, which is great for their cognitive stimulation and hand-eye coordination skills. The benefits don’t stop there, however! We all know that loneliness amongst older adults is rife, and here at Radfield Home Care Havering, we aim to help our community to age well with an important focus on mental health and well-being. The Memory Café is such an important way of leading light and promoting our #BeThere message for our clients and our community.

Beneficial for both client and Care Professionals

Our Care Manager Charlotte attended a few of the sessions to accompany our Community Connector Charlie, who attends fortnightly, and she was amazed at how well-organised and beneficial the Café was to our wonderful clients. Upon reflection, Charlotte said

“It was lovely to see how included and supported our clients were at the memory café. It was nice to see everyone chatting together, enjoying tea, cake and games. It is such a wonderful event and the lasting impact that it has for our clients is clear from their increased wellbeing.”

Charlotte is not the only individual who acknowledges the benefits, our Care Professionals who support our clients and attend the café with them always point out what a lovely setting it is. It is also beneficial to our Care Professionals as it allows them time to relax, unwind, and socialise with different members of our care team, as well as spending time with our lovely clients. There is nothing like a game of cards to unite people together!

Going above and beyond for our clients and their families

The families of our clients who attend the Memory Café often praise how wonderful it is, as well, and how much enjoyment their loved one has when they attend. As an example of Radfield Home Care Havering & Brentwood going above and beyond, we send photographs of our clients to their loved ones after each event to show them the true benefits of companionship care. This peace of mind created by the Memory Café promotes our Radfield values in that We are a Family, We are Proud to Care, and We are on your Side!

Kerry Hunt, who is the Education and Partnerships Producer at the Queen’s Theatre, has spoken about the reason that the Memory Café was set up initially and the importance of it for older adults living in Havering;

“The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s Memory Café was set up to respond to a growing need for Dementia Friendly provision in the borough. The café was initially funded very generously by Havering’s Dementia Action Alliance for 10 fortnightly sessions, taking place in the Learning Space at the Queen’s Theatre, 10:30am – 12noon, every other Thursday. The café has been extremely successful, providing a safe space for people living with Dementia and their carers to enjoy and cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake whilst meeting new people, playing games and accessing vital information.

This sits alongside the Queen’s Theatre’s ever-growing Dementia Friendly programme of events. On the alternate Thursday’s to the café, we host the Upminster Dementia Choir and have a number of Dementia Friendly performances, including main house shows and Down Memory Lane. Do come in for a chat. Our staff are Dementia Friends and willing to help! We are grateful for Radfield’s continued support.“

There is no better cure for loneliness than friendships, and this wonderful community that has been created by the Queen’s Theatre is admirable and it is amazing to see first-hand the true benefit that it has for our clients and their families, our Care Professionals and the wider community.

If you think that your loved one may be interested in attending the Dementia Memory Café regularly, please discover more through the Queens Theatre Hornchurch website.

To enquire about our care services visit our website: https://www.radfieldhomecare.co.uk/097/about-us

Contact us on 01708 609364 or email [email protected]