One of the key ambitions in Watford’s plan to become an accredited dementia friendly town has been realised as a new café for people with dementia and their carers is open in the centre of town.
The café, organised by Watford Three Rivers Trust and Home Instead, with funding from Watford Mayors Fund and Watford Community Housing, is based in St Mary’s Church and opens on the first Friday of every month. It is there to give people a chance to share their experiences, make friends in a relaxed environment and enjoy the social experiences again that were once commonplace in their lives. People living with dementia and their carers can drop in between 10.30am to 12:30pm. There is a £5 suggested contribution.
Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor said: “Earlier this year we asked people living with dementia and their carers to tell us how we can change so that we are better at supporting them. We had lots of great ideas and the most popular was for a café or a social space where people could come together and feel supported in the town centre. I’d like to thank St Mary’s Church for their support in making this happen. We want to do all we can to make Watford a more dementia-friendly town.'
Watford is on its way to becoming a dementia friendly town after the ‘Watford Dementia Action Group’ was recognised by official accreditors the Alzheimer's Society. The group, which is comprised of Watford Borough Council and 10 partners’ organisations - aims to create a ‘dementia-friendly’ Watford by making the town and all it provides more accessible to people with dementia and their carers. This includes ensuring people with dementia enjoy equal opportunities to enjoy socialising, are easily able to participate in everyday activity and live independently, all without fear of stigma or rejection.