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South Leicester Memory Cafes

I’m running the 2017 London Marathon in the hope of raising enough money to help fund the South Leicester Memory Cafes.

Forgetting your keys is a regular occurrence for most people, putting something down and then not being able to remember where you left it is something that happens to the best of us, but what if it is something that is starting to happen on a much more regular basis?

Dementia is not a word that anyone wants to hear, whether it’s about themselves or about someone that they care about. As scientists and researchers discover cures and treatments for illnesses and diseases, the average lifespan is increasing, and so is the number of people suffering from dementia, and it is predicted that the number of people in the UK with dementia will double over the next 40 years.

Memory trouble is often associated with old age, and so when my Grandma called me by my sister’s name, or wandered through to the kitchen enquiring about lunch straight after finishing her meal, we just humoured her and chalked it up to her age. A while after this, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Every case of Alzheimer’s is different, and symptoms don’t always follow the same pattern, which is why it often goes undiagnosed.

Once we were given my Grandma’s diagnosis, although it didn’t make things easier, it did mean that we could start to try and understand more about it. When caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s, the more you know about the disease, the better.

Twice a month, South Leicester Memory Cafes provide a place for people with dementia and their carers to meet and share experiences and provide help and support. Caring for someone with dementia can feel very isolating and coming to the cafes means there is somewhere you can go without worrying.

Each session is different. They usually include some singing, some seated exercises and sometimes craft-based activities – and plenty of cake. There is also information available from Red Cross and Age UK, and of course from the Alzheimer’s Society, who provide the professional support. While St Guthlac’s Church and St. Thomas More allow volunteers for the Memory Cafes to use their parish rooms at no charge, the professional support and specialist help that is needed to run these sessions does come at a cost.

There are two Memory Cafes a month, run to provide this support for all people with dementia in the local community, and their carers, lasting two hours. It costs £125 to run each session, and so I am running the London Marathon in the hope of funding South Leicester Memory Cafes for a month. It would be incredible to raise enough to be able to do so, and even better if I can raise more to help fund further cafes.

Read more about why I'm running for the Memory Cafes on my blog

Organizer

Helen Christie
Organizer

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