Dementia Friendly Activities are restarting in Congleton, in line with world Alzheimer’s day on 21st September.
Some activities have had a break over summer but are gearing up for the autumn.
The Gentle Activities for the Young at Heart leaflet covers most activities. Although not exclusively for people living with dementia and their carers, the activities are dementia friendly. The leaflet is available from the Congleton Information Centre, the social prescribers at GP surgeries, the library and Congleton Museum.
The Forget Me Not club at New Life Church restarts this month. This is for people living with dementia and their carers. It is held on the second and fourth Friday of the month from 10.30am to noon. Activities include gentle exercise, music, crafts, quizzes and games.
Refreshments will be served. Contact Clare Sheard 07866 415 211 to book a place.
Also at New Life Church is the The Less Able Club and the Jubilee Club – see the activities leaflet for more details.
As we reported last week, the Time Out Group is meeting again at Bromley Farm Community Centre on Edinburgh Road.
A wide variety of activities is offered to those with early stage dementia, including day trips, gentle exercise, music and singing, and arts and crafts. It is held every Thursday from 10am to 3pm. A two-course lunch is included in the £20 fee.
This group has been established 15 years and offers the opportunity for carers to take a break. Contact Margaret Butcher or Glen Williams on 01260 279 707 for a chat and to book a place.
Traditional games will be held at Bear Grills, 10.30am to noon on the first, third and fifth Friday of the month, starting 30th September. Play traditional games, Scrabble, draughts, dominoes, crib, chess, jigsaws and card games.
People can take their own favourite games. Call Diane Ritherdon, 07770 724 932, or just drop in.
The Dementia Swap Shop has its home in Congleton library and is open all hours the library operates. In a large cupboard are dementia-friendly games, activities, exercises and jigsaws.
As the cooler weather approaches, twiddle muffs are available – works of art knitted by local people with items sewn on the inside and outside to encourage twiddling. They not only keep the hands warm but help prevent atrophy by encouraging movement. Call 01260 375 550 or pop into the library for further details.
Other library events are the Crafternoon Tea on the third Wednesday each month from 2pm. Try a different craft each month. No previous skill required, and the £1 entry includes all materials and refreshments. Pre-booking is required.
Keen cooks is on the second Tuesday of the month at 2.15pm, a discussion group with a tasty theme.
Story and Tea for Grown-ups includes short stories and poetry, from 2.30pm on the fourth Monday of the month with refreshments. Good vibrations is singalong with guitar accompaniment, alternate Wednesdays 10.30am to 11.30am.
The Old Saw Mill offers a variety of dementia-friendly activities.
The Knit and Natter group meets On Tuesdays from 2pm to 3pm. Its brightly coloured twiddle muffs are available from the swap shop cupboard in the library. Join the group to swap patterns, tips and techniques or just have a good yarn.
Also at the Old Saw Mill, a book club, a singalong group and men’s and women’s groups are all proving popular.
A repair cafe on the last Saturday in the month from 10am to noon goes from strength to strength. Take along favourite items that are too good to throw away and give them a new lease of life.
The popular Big Heart lunch club continues on Fridays: A two-course home-cooked lunch can be delivered to door for £5. For details of The Old Saw Mill activities contact 01260 277 658.
Congleton Cricket Club has an increasing number of regular guests on Mondays at is Company Corner from 10am to noon. This is open to anyone who would like coffee, cake and some company. All welcome. Contact Liz on 07717 736 645.
Details about dementia friendly activities at St John’s Community Centre, Buxton Old Road, Buglawton, and the United Reformed Church are included in the activities leaflet.
For those who would like to learn more about dementia and how to communicate effectively with someone who has dementia, free Dementia Friends awareness sessions can be run for organisations and groups. Contact Diane Ritherdon for details, 07770 724 932.
Support for activities can be obtained from the social prescribers attached to GP surgeries.
