At our lunchtime meeting on Friday 2nd of December our Speaker was Penny Beerling from the Royal Voluntary Service at Cornhill, her presentation was very thorough giving a good insight into how Dementia Sufferers and Dementia Carers feel.
Dementia for those who live with it and for people who care about them can be very lonely and frightening greatly affecting confidence such that it prevents people continuing to do the things they enjoy.
The RVS dementia support services help those who live with dementia to keep up the lifestyle they enjoy for as long as possible and offer comfort and support when facing unfamiliar and difficult situations. In Banbury Penny runs two types of group support. The first, every Wednesday for three and a half hours, is a support group of Dementia sufferers where volunteers and staff host fun and social support groups including home-cooked lunches, gentle exercise, cognitive stimulation therapy, crafts, games and drop in information sessions. The second group involves a “Remember Me Cafe” on the first Thursday of the month for two hours which is of especial help to Dementia Carers where they have a chance to speak freely about Dementia with Penny and Volunteers and with other people in a similar situation to themselves.
Both these support groups are free of charge which is brilliant especially for people with little money to spare. I understand that funding for the groups is secure until 2024 and very much hope it continues so that these support groups can continue.