Bolton Clarke, which has its own Research Institute, has opened a café especially for residents living with dementia at its Acacia Living Group’s Jurien Bay Village in the coastal town in WA’s Wheatbelt region.
The retirement village has partnered with the Forget-me-not Dementia Support Association, in launching the Forget Me Not Café.
“There a lot of cafes in Jurien Bay but they are all based around tourism and aren’t accessible or comfortable for people with dementia,” Jurien Bay Village Manager Irene Conner said.
“This is like a café within a café really - customers can come along and there are different things on the tables like colouring-in activities and fiddle mats.”
Jurien Bay Village Social Club Secretary and resident Amanda Wallis says it was something the club felt would make a difference within the village and local community.
“We opened our own café called Reflections Café earlier this year in the village and were interested in creating a Forget-me-not café,” Amanda said.
“There were customers with dementia that attended with their family and carers and they just absolutely loved it.
“I know for the carers it’s a huge job so this is also a place where they can come to relax and just be themselves for a while.”
Going beyond just serving coffee and cake, Amanda and the volunteers also stay connected making regular phone calls to the customers with dementia.
“For people with dementia, it’s not the end of their life it’s just a different path and journey they are taking,” she said.
The Forget-me-not café at Reflections Café will be running every third Friday of the month welcoming the public at their next event on Friday, 21 October.
