Special guest launches Cheltenham’s latest dementia café

A new dementia café has opened in Cheltenham – with help from a special guest.

Care UK’s Sandfields, on St George’s Road, officially launched its new dementia café at ‘The Place to Eat’ at John Lewis & Partners in the town centre with the help of the Mayor of Cheltenham, Councillor Steve Harvey. On the day, there was a special performance from professional singer Helen Whitney, who demonstrated the benefits of music and singing for older people, especially those living with dementia. Councillor Steve Harvey also officially cut the ribbon to mark the opening.

The monthly ‘Forget Me Not’ café, led by the friendly team at Sandfields, including Customer Relations Manager Laura Sayburn, offers guidance and practical support for people living with dementia, or caring for a loved one living with the condition, as well as signposting them to relevant services. There will also be new guest speakers or entertainers every month who will either offer professional tips and advice for day-to-day care or provide examples of activities to replicate at home with a loved one living with dementia. 

The café also provides an opportunity for carers, and people living with dementia, to meet each other in a safe and friendly environment, and share their personal experience – all while enjoying coffee and treats at a discounted price.

Laura said: “Our first ever dementia café was a roaring success and we loved meeting so many carers and local people.

“We were delighted to welcome the Councillor Steve Harvey for our inaugural event – it was fantastic to be able to share our ambitions to turn Cheltenham into a dementia-friendly town, one piece of cake at a time. The café has been months in the making and something everyone at Sandfields is incredibly passionate about, as we have all worked hard to create an information hub for carers in the community to meet and receive advice, something we know is absolutely vital.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to John Lewis & Partners, in Cheltenham, as none of it would have been possible without their support, and to Helen Whitney – her performance on the day was breathtaking and had everyone singing along. We’d like to invite anyone in the community caring for a loved one or simply keen to learn more about dementia to join us next time – we can’t wait to meet you all.” 

The monthly dementia café sessions will be held on the last Wednesday of each month from 3pm-4pm, with the next event being held on Wednesday 23rd February. 

Sandfields is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, dementia, nursing and short-term respite care. The home, which features 90 en-suite bedrooms, has been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, bar, hairdressing salon and café.

For more information on Sandfields and the dementia cafe, please contact Laura Sayburn, Customer Relations Manager, by emailing: laura.sayburn@careuk.com or calling 01242 801 867.

For more general information, please visit careuk.com/sandfields.