Letchworth's Garden House Hospice is using its expertise in dementia care to provide specialist support for people who are forgetful, worried about their memory or have a diagnosis of dementia.

From Thursday (February 1) they will offer weekly drop-in sessions for anyone meeting this criteria and their families or carers.

The 'Healthy Memory Café' will be run by Garden House Hospice Care and take place every Thursday from 10am to 12 noon at the hospice's Ernest Gardiner Treatment Centre in Letchworth.

It had been previously held once a month in an external location, but the hospice has made the changes to make the café bigger, more sociable and more inclusive.

Lucy Cosgrove (above) admiral nurse at Garden House Hospice Care, who is leading the café, said: "We have been leading on a similar monthly café since July 2021, of which the success has been mixed. From feedback provided, we felt it necessary to make the café more frequent so that people can feel supported and live as well as possible.

"It's a chance for people to come along with a family member or their carer and enjoy a cup of tea in a safe and relaxed environment, breaking their normal shared routine and enjoying their time together." 

There are an estimated 2,679 people aged 65 or over living with dementia in North Hertfordshire and Stevenage, 28% of whom haven't been diagnosed (NHS Digital, 2023)1.

"These figures highlight just how essential the Healthy Memory Café is to our community. It's so important for people to have access to as much support as possible, whether through informational talks, fun activities or just having someone there to listen to their worries and concerns.

"We also hope the café will support with helping to identify people living with multiple health conditions who can benefit from our incredible new frailty service."

The Healthy Memory Café will be led by Lucy, supervised by volunteer compassionate neighbours and supported by external organisations including Carers in Hertfordshire, Alzheimer's Society, EMDASS, Crossroads and the Hertfordshire CCG.

For more information, please visit www.ghhospicecare.org.uk/dementia-care or call Lucy Cosgrove on 07377876257.