Dementia-Friendly Dorset: Your Guide To Local Initiatives

Dementia-Friendly Dorset: Your Guide To Local Initiatives

There are a great range of dementia-friendly opportunities across Dorset to help those living with dementia continue to get the most out of life. These can include socialising, enjoying hobbies, exercise and more. Age Space has put together the following page to guide you through the groups, activities and initiatives available in the county.

If you are looking for more practical support, you may want to take a look at our guide to Care Services for People with Dementia in Dorset. Age Space also has a free, comprehensive guide toย Caring for Someone with Dementiaย that you may find helpful.

Memory Cafรฉs in Dorset

Memory Cafรฉs provide an opportunity for people with dementia and their carers to meet with others who are in similar positions and professionals to socialise, share experiences or advice and enjoy a hot drink in a warm and friendly environment.

Age UK's Dorchester Dementia Support Group

Age UK run a dementia support group in Dorchester that offers those with dementia and their carers the opportunity to socialise with others and find out about what local support is available. The group provides a sociable environment where they combine brain stimulating activities and carer support.

Dementia Cafe in Dorset

Each session runs for one and a half hours and costs ยฃ2.50 per person to attend, which includes hot drinks and biscuits. You can find out more information by visiting their website or getting in touch using the details provided below.

Mindful Memory Cafรฉs (Gillingham & Stalbridge)

The Mindful Memory Cafรฉs support those living with memory loss or dementia and their carers in and around the North Dorset area. They have two cafรฉs available in Gillingham and Stalbridge, which are free to attend. The cafรฉs offer support, advice and friendship to attendees in a comfortable environment.

Mindful also run a Men Marching On group, which is specifically for men to attend and take part in a range of activities, from skittles and bowling to darts, boule and the occasional day trip. This group is held in a variety of locations depending on the activity, so you will need to get in touch with them for full details.

Each year, the three different groups merge to attend a day trip in the summer and a Christmas lunch in the winter.

For more information on each of these groups, including how to get involved, you can follow the links below or get in touch using the contact details provided.

Gillingham
  • Where? Gillingham Social Club, SP8 4HX
  • Telephone: 07910 663 392
  • Visit Website
Stalbridge
  • Where? Stalbridge Village Hall, DT10 2NF
  • Telephone: 07840 424 148
  • Visit Website
Men Marching On (Gillingham)

Shire Hall Memory Cafรฉ

The Shire Hall Memory Cafรฉ offers a relaxed, drop in session to provide socialisation for those with memory difficulties, as well as their carers and family. The Cafรฉ is held in Shire Hall’s learning room, which is a light and open space where people will have the opportunity to interact and socialise whilst enjoying some delicious food.

For more information, you can visit the website or get in touch with them using the details provided below.

  • Where? Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum, High West Street, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1UY
  • Telephone: 01305 261849
  • Visit Website

Weymouth Memory Cafรฉ

The Alzheimer’s Society’s Weymouth based Memory Cafรฉ gives those who are affected by dementia the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities. The group has a focus on socialising and getting to know others who may be sharing similar experiences.

Dementia-Friendly Arts & Gardening Groups in Dorset

Conquest Art Group (Bridport)

Conquest Art put on art groups all over the county for people living with disabilities or long term illnesses, including dementia, with no previous artistic experience required. They charge a nominal fee and provide all art materials to attendees.

Groups are run by a volunteer leader, who is given art techniques and approaches used to encourage self-expression through creative, artistic activities.

Dorset’s group is based in Bridport and runs on alternating Wednesdays during school term time.

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Telephone: 020 8393 7707
  • Where? Bridport Christian Fellowship, Kings Square, Kings Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3QD
  • Visit Website

In Jolly Good Company

In Jolly Good Company is an organisation that exists to help alleviate the physical and mental issues surrounding loneliness and isolation. They are dementia-friendly and work with all ages to bring friendship, joy and a sense of community to older people living in Dorset.

Jolly Days (Blandford, Shaftesbury, Wimbourne & Wimbourne St. Giles)

On a Jolly Day, you can be as active or relaxed as you like, with various activities taking place at In Jolly Good Company’s different venues in Blandford, Shaftesbury, Wimbourne and Wimbourne St. Giles. These can include live music, singing, quizzes, seated exercise, walks, painting and crafts. They will also always make sure to stop for tea and homemade cake!

  • Blandford Jolly Days: Woodhouse Gardens, Blandford, DT11 7DN
  • Shaftesbury Jolly Days: Royal British Legion, Coppice Street, SP7 8PF
  • Wimbourne Jolly Days: 23-29 High St, Wimborne, BH21 1HR
  • Wimbourne St. Giles Jolly Days: Wimborne St Giles Village Hall, Wimborne, BH21 5LX

For more information, you can visit the website or get in touch using the details provided below.

Step Outside (Kingston Lacy)

Step Outside is a collaborative project between In Jolly Good Company, Dorset Council, the National Trust and Wimbourne Dementia Friendly Community. It’s a great afternoon out, with no gardening experience required to join in. Some attendees just like to sit and chat, while others harvest vegetables and pick flowers. As well as gardening, they offer arts, crafts, live music, story telling and gentle yoga. They also provide tea and posh biscuits!

  • Where? Kingston Lacy Kitchen Gardens, BH21 4EG
  • When? The afternoon of every second and fourth Friday of the month (in season)
  • Visit Website

Dementia-Friendly Exercise Groups in Dorset

Dementia Friendly Guided Woodland Wellbeing Walks, Thornecombe Wood

Dorset Council run gentle strolls in Thornecombe Wood that look at the seasonal landscape, often using the senses, such as touch, listening and smell to enable those involved to discover more about the reserve.

You can find out more information by getting in touch, or visiting the Events tab on their Facebook page for details on upcoming walks.

Love to Move Dorset

Love to Move offer dementia friendly, seated exercise classes in Dorset based on a programme devised by the British Gymnastics Foundation. These classes are suitable for all ages and offer physical, cognitive and emotional benefits, as well as being a lot of fun!

They hold classes held in Christchurch, Southbourne and Ringwood. You can find their full timetable of classes here, or get in touch using the contact details provided below.

New Forest Inclusive Cycling

PEDALL provides cycling sessions for people who face a barrier to accessing cycling on the New Forest, off-road cycle network, including suffering from dementia. The project makes use of a wide range of adapted bikes, which offer different seating positions, have three or four wheels to increase stability and have straps and harnesses to help support body weight.

The New Forest National Park is a popular destination for cycling due to 100 miles of off-road cycle-tracks, stunning scenery and beautiful wildlife. PEDALL provides guided rides and personal support, transporting the adapted bikes to the start point so all rides take place in a traffic-free environment. Sessions are delivered by qualified leaders and supported by assistants. Family members and friends are encouraged to join in.

They have starting points close to the Dorset border in Hampshire in Ashurst and Burley. You can find out more information about getting involved by visiting the website or getting in touch using the details provided below.

Dementia-Friendly Cinema in Dorset

The Lighthouse Cinema, Poole

The Lighthouse Cinema in Poole provides daytime, dementia friendly screenings of films that are adapted to meet the needs of people with dementia. This includes creating a relaxed environment by leaving the house lights low and the sound levels a little lower than normal, so you can safely move around or leave the cinema freely during the film. Lighthouse staff will be on hand to offer assistance and there will be an interval in the middle of the screening to help ensure everyone is comfortable throughout.

Cinema Discounts for the Elderly in Sussex

To make it a more sociable occasion, they also welcome you to enjoy a complimentary hot drink with biscuits before the film.

For full details on The Lighthouse Cinemas dementia friendly screenings, you can visit the website or get in touch using the details provided below.

Dorset Dementia Action Alliance

Dementia Action Alliance groups set out to make areas of the UK more dementia friendly and improve the lives of local residents living with dementia. Their pages detail their successes and further goals going forward. They include a list of dementia-friendly members, local businesses and organisations who have pledged support to those who live with dementia.

You can find out full details about Dementia Action Alliance’s work in Dorset through the link below.