Just their cup of tea
Church hosts dementia cafe event
Gilmour and Whitehill Parish Church are serving up tea, biscuits and memories at a monthly event.
The Memories Tea Room in the Burnbank church is mainly for the benefit of those living with dementia and their carers but is also open to older adults within the community.
As well as the tea and cakes on offer, the cafe provides a space where visitors can socialise, share memories, give and receive support and hear guest speakers in friendly surroundings.
Leigh Anne Lyon, an NHS Lanarkshire community psychiatric nurse from the older adult team based at Udston Hospital, said: “We launched the cafe at the start of this year as we identified a need for social support in this area for people living with dementia and their carers.
“It’s grown every month since and you can see why when you come along and hear everyone laughing and joking with one another, and even the odd song.
“It’s a fantastic environment that helps us provide support for those living with dementia as well as a place where they and their carers can socialise.”
A pair of motivated and enthusiastic ladies from the church, Anna Lyon and Ann Paul, helped set up and now help run the monthly cafe.
Leigh Anne continued: “I can’t thank the church members enough for their support.
“We’ve also had great support from many of the local businesses who very generously provide us with tea, coffee and food every month.
“It’s a fantastic community effort to support what is a growing group in our communities.”
Dr Adam Daly, NHS Lanarkshire clinical director for old age psychiatry, said: “Reminiscing, sharing life experiences, memories or stories from the past, can often be helpful for a person with dementia as they are more able to recall things from many years ago than recent memories.
“So many of our own conversations and interactions rely on short-term memory, so reminiscence can give people with dementia a sense of competence and confidence.
“With so many coming back and new people arriving every month, visitors are clearly enjoying the cafe.”
The Memories Tea Room takes place in the Gilmour and Whitehill Parish Church on Wilson Street Burnbank, Hamilton.
It is open between 1-3pm on the last Thursday of every month, and the next cafe is on Thursday, July 27.
For more information on the cafe, contact the church at its coffee lounge Monday to Friday, or call Anna Lyon on 01698 429603 or Ann Paul on 01698 42697. And for more on dementia, go online to www.alzscot.org.
There are nearly 5600 people living with dementia in South Lanarkshire – more than double the UK and Scottish averages. And the number of cases is expected to double by 2030, according to Alzheimer Scotland.
It’s a fantastic communtiy effort to support a growing group