'Living Memories' dementia cafe in Marden

Rachel Chacon, K20 Cycling Club member and Community volunteer, tells why she started the 'Living Memories' dementia cafe¹ in Marden and the help it provides to people living with dementia:

Three years ago I started up 'Living Memories' dementia cafe in Marden, with help from a very enthusiastic group of volunteers.  My motivation was ten years' experience in care homes where I came to realise that the best place for our elderly people with dementia is in their own homes, in their own communities, particularly in the early stages.

For two years before Covid-19 hit we were running a two weekly meeting in the Vestry Hall, always with a theme and memorabilia to jog memories, sometimes entertainment, sometimes a talk.  What became apparent to us as we progressed was the lack of understanding and especially the fear of dementia generally amongst the community. Social disengagement is most often the first symptom due to loss of confidence and the sufferer's own lack of understanding of the condition.  Many people say the first symptom is 'losing my friends'.  We need to change this.  

The Alzheimers Society run a project which is designed to help us to become a Dementia Friendly Community by tackling these problems and giving the community an opportunity to understand how to socially include these people in all aspects of our village life.  We intend to work in collaboration with the Medical Centre, church, local organisations, groups, the local council and local businesses.  Everyone in our community has a key role to play in this.  Our most important role will be to give these people a voice and to listen to what they have to say about the day-to-day difficulties they face when trying to engage with their community.

All being well, our first post Covid-19 event will be on Saturday 22 May outside our local library.  We will be running a Virtual Reality Dementia Experience, which is used as training in many of our NHS hospitals.  Groups of about ten at a time will wear some rather strange items of clothing designed to inhibit your movements/hearing/sight, in a very similar way to that endured by people living with dementia.  The group will then have a chance to discuss the experience with each other and experts.  

I hope I have said enough and not too much to convince you that K20's donation is going to an extremely worthy cause.  Covid 19 has wreaked havoc with many people's lives and, I could argue, none so much as those living with dementia.  Social disengagement is already known to seriously increase the progress of dementia.  Lockdown has had a devastating effect. Please come along on Saturday 22 May and have a chat, or maybe you'll be brave enough to take part and find out for yourself.  Many thanks for your donation which is contributing to our project here in Marden.  

Rachel Chacon

K20 Cycling Club member and Marden Dementia Friendly Community volunteer.

¹ K20 Cycling Club was pleased to be able to make its first charitable donation of £300 to the 'Living Memories' Dementia cafe.