The Gillingham community has turned out to celebrate the relaunch of a care home’s weekly dementia support sessions.

Fern Brook Lodge care home held an event to celebrate the relaunch of their Memory Cafe events, which are now being held in partnership with Age UK North, South and West Dorset.

The free weekly sessions take place every Thursday from 10am to 11am in the care home’s dedicated The Brook community space, with support from the volunteers at Dementia Friendly Gillingham. People living with dementia and their loved ones are invited to come along and experience the warm and friendly atmosphere of Fern Brook Lodge while talking to like-minded people.

The mayor of Gillingham, Councillor Roger Weeks, helped to kick off the launch event with support from Terri Lewis, CEO of Age UK North, South and West Dorset, Simon Bird, CEO of Care South, and Deb Wiltshire, Home Manager of Fern Brook Lodge.

Councillor Roger Weeks said: ‘The staff and facilities here at Fern Brook Lodge are exceptional and the Memory Cafe that they provide is superb. It’s a really helpful community hub, which will continue to be in great demand. People come together and share experiences over delicious cake and coffee with some fun activities for them to enjoy during the sessions.’

Throughout the year, the Memory Cafe sessions will feature Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (MCST) led by Age UK North, South and West Dorset, expert talks and Q&A sessions with Karen Hodges, Care South’s Group Dementia Lead, along with fun and engaging activities which encourage social interaction.

Terri Lewis, CEO of Age UK North, South and West Dorset, said: ‘We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Fern Brook Lodge, which enables our facilitators to build meaningful relationships and offer valuable support within the Gillingham community and surrounding areas. This collaboration is an important part of our wider efforts to strengthen our presence across North Dorset.’

Fern Brook Lodge, which is part of not-for-profit charity, Care South, provides residential, respite, and dementia care. A dedicated activities team organise a daily programme of events to bring residents together to socialise and build friendships.

Deb Wiltshire, Home Manager at Fern Brook Lodge, said: ‘We’re so proud to relaunch our Memory Café in partnership with Age UK North, South and West Dorset. These sessions create a safe, welcoming space for people living with dementia and their families to connect and share experiences with like-minded people. It’s an honour and a privilege to support our local community in this way.’

Care South is a leading provider of high quality residential and home care services across the south of England. The not-for-profit organisation, which is a registered charity, has care homes in Dorset, north Devon, Somerset and West Sussex, and home care offices covering east and west Dorset, and northeast Somerset and south Somerset.

For more information about the care services available at Fern Brook Lodge, go to care-south.co.uk or call 01747 449812.