Wendy Curtis
Wendy Curtis - The Memory Cafe, Dartmouth
Memory Café
We have all at some time been guilty of jokingly saying ‘I think I’m losing my marbles’ but it is far from a joke for the people and their families who find themselves afflicted by one form or another of memory loss.
It can be so frustrating and very distressing for the person concerned and can put extreme stress on the carer. We think of dementia happening in old age but memory loss can actually be suffered at any time.
It affects around 700,000 people in the UK and it is unfortunately expected to increase more than threefold in the next 50 years. In the south west alone, there are estimated to be some 66,000 people living with dementia and experts project that this figure will rise to more than 91,000. But still the stigma surrounding it means that only one in three sufferers ever get a formal diagnosis and others have no idea where to turn for help.
It is recognised that nationally we have an aging population and with Devon attracting so many people in their retirement part of Devon County Council’s response to The National Dementia Strategy is to set up a series of memory cafes throughout the county and there are currently around 33 of them.
An approach was made to Dartmouth Caring to support the initiative as they already had the client base through which to spread the word of this new service and Wendy Curtis (pictured), one of the Trustees of Dartmouth Caring, was tasked with organising the creation of a Memory Cafe for our town. She had the personal experience of her own mother suffering dementia in the latter years of her life and she knows how lives are changed by this diagnosis.
Wendy was living in South Wales at the time and was invited onto the board of Crossroads an organisation that cares for carers and many of these carers were dealing with older family members with memory loss. Wendy therefore had solid experience to fulfil the assignment.
In April of last year with initial funding of £750 research was undertaken and other memory cafes visited to gain insight and knowledge. A venue had to be located and Townstal Community Hall became the preferred option. With super facilities, the spacious, bright meeting room and most importantly with dedicated, and being on a bus route it ticked all the boxes.
The Memory Café opened in September 2010 and it meets on the second Tuesday of every month from 10.30am till 12.30pm. The aim of the Memory Café is to provide a really relaxed friendly environment for people with memory problems and their carers to come along to meet others with similar concerns, and have a chat over a cup of tea or coffee and obtain support and information.
Stimulation is also very important and there are activities on offer. Playing cards or dominoes and an occasional good singalong can improve a feeling of well being. ‘A person may have lost the facts but they still have the feelings’ Wendy explains ‘One of our main aims at the Memory Café without any doubt is to ensure that our visitors experience a real sense of well being and enjoy themselves.
Practical advice, emotional support and a sense of belonging is so important to ensure carers do not feel isolated. The Memory Café offers a less formal way of finding out more about a condition before seeking a diagnosis, anyone can just turn up on the day and certainly no referral is necessary’.
The Memory Café is supported by health professionals and Dartmouth Caring bridge workers, who are part funded by Dartmouth Hospital, and have excellent access to health services. There is also a group of very supportive volunteers who have received appropriate training and whose contribution has been superb and is much valued.
Wendy would also like to thank the businesses and organisations who have made donations and supplied the funding to ensure the continuance of the Memory Café, especially when the Dartmouth area can geographically at times feel somewhat cut off.
Wendy is keen to say ‘If anyone has any concerns about memory and memory loss however small we are here to help. Do not hesitate to just turn up for a chat. If you are worried on your own account or whether you are concerned about a parent or spouse we can guarantee you will find emotional and practical support and information to make your life a little easier.’
Dartmouth Memory Café
Townstal Community Hall, Davis Road, Townstal , Dartmouth, TQ6 9LI
Name of Co-ordinator: Wendy Curtis - Marilyn Bird
Telephone: 01803 835384
Times of opening: Monthly - 2nd Tuesday 10.00am - 12.00pm
First Published June 2011 By The Dart
