The Dementia Cafe is run by volunteers and meets every third Thursday of the month at the St Dionysius Church Hall in Coventry Road from 2pm until 4pm. It was set up two years ago to provide a place for people to get together to find out and exchange information about dementia and to share experiences. Sir Edward was invited by Mr Steve Kendall, the chairman of the trustees, to come to the Cafe and meet the volunteers, carers, families and professionals from Social Services as well as those with dementia.
Following his visit, Sir Edward said: “This service has been used by around 180 people since it began and is proving to be a real boon to those who use it. I was hugely impressed that there were not only carers who were the husbands and wives of the people with dementia but others who come out of the goodness of their heart. I met a group of youngsters from Robert Smyth who seemed enthused by their work and genuinely willing to give of their time to help others – thoroughly commendable. The Government is determined that dementia should be recognised as more than just a label but a condition that needs early diagnosis, help for carers and those with dementia to point them in the direction of medical, social and respite care, and research into cures and other forms of scientific and medicinal mitigation. There must be hundreds of thousands or families across the country affected by dementia so I am arranging to meet Mr Kendall again in the very near future to see how we can move things along in a practical way.”