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St Cuthbert's website
UK News

Churches urged to set up cafés for people with dementia

by Cara Bentley

Rev Steve Morris from St Cuthbert's church North Wembley told Premier they opened a memory café to fill the gap left by follow-up care.

It caters for older people who have dementia, and their carers, and those who could be isolated without the social interaction.

Held every Thursday, guests are provided with tea and cake and are given the opportunity to play quizzes.

Rev Steve Morris told Premier: "The basic idea is about hospitality and doing memory games and we now think it's a phenomenon that's going to sweep across the country. There are memory cafés using our pattern opening everywhere; you can come and visit us and then they go and set them up. They are so simple but so wonderful."

Rev Steve said sometimes he thinks it's so simple he gets frustrated: "Why isn't every church doing this? Any church in the country, you knock on the doors ten either side of where the church is you will find in at least four of those houses people who don't see a living soul all week and I just don't think we can close our eyes to this problem anymore."

Rev Steve encouraged others to take their model and do the same.

"I think every single church in the country should start a memory café...It is the simplest thing you'll ever do, all you need is a kettle and a warm welcome and if you contact us at St Cuthbert's North Wembley we'll even send you a year's worth of quizzes!"

Listen to the full interview here with Premier's Cara Bentley:

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