
People with dementia and their family carers in Warminster are invited to join a new weekly social group.
Warminster Memory Group will meet in the foyer at Christ Church on Tuesday afternoons from the end of April.
The new group will combine several of Beyond Dementia's much-loved activities. The first and third weeks of each month will feature a memory café, with entertainment, refreshments and the chance to seek informal support from dementia advisers and other specialist staff. The second Tuesday of the month will be a Music for the Mind dementia choir, and the charity will run its Movement for the Mind gentle exercise session on the fourth Tuesday, and so on.
Community services coordinator Cathy Lawrence said: “People can come along every week or just come to the activities they enjoy most. It’s a chance to socialise and spend some time as a couple, or with a companion, with others in a similar situation. We know from our other groups how much people value the chance to be together with others in a supportive social setting.
“Our groups are relaxed and fun, with lots of chat and laughter conversation and it’s lovely to see friendships forming. We always start with refreshments and a catch-up. If people have questions or just want to offload a bit, then there are people on hand to talk to.”
Graham and Alwyn Harris, pictured above, have already signed up to the new group, after taking part in Beyond Dementia's Warminster art group.
Graham said: “We are on a learning curve after Alwyn was diagnosed with cerebral dementia, and are finding ways to help her deal with her dementia. In this situation, you tend to spend a lot of time on your own, together, and we are looking for avenues to stimulate our minds, particularly for Alwyn but also for me.
“We enjoy the art group and the new memory group sounds really good too. Alwyn is looking for companionship and I want to meet other carers. I go to the charity’s carers lunch once a month which is quite nice but this is something we can do together, and it is local for us.”