Community services in Salford are providing a lifeline for those affected by dementia.
The Forget Me Not café at the Humphrey Booth Centre in Swinton is just one vital part of Salford City Council’s dementia services.
The café offers a wide selection of activities between 9am and 2.30pm every weekday including art, music, quizzes and armchair exercises run by a group of “brilliant” volunteers.
Mali Pocsai, the community and engagement officer at the Institute for Dementia and Aging, said: “We’re really lucky in Salford and greater Manchester that there’s some infrastructure. There’s cafes and groups.”
Some 850,000 people in the UK over the age of 65 suffer with dementia, which is an umbrella term for a collection of symptoms mainly characterised by a long-term decline in cognitive function, including memory and communication difficulties.
The current benchmark for a diagnosis in the UK is set at 66.7%. Salford has consistently outperformed the national average, with a median diagnosis rate between 2017 and 2024 of 78%.
The disease not only impacts those diagnosed but also their family members.
Christopher Sewards, the dementia lead for Salford Provider Services, described the space as: “A hub that brings people living with dementia together, carers and people who may be socially isolated.”
Around 35% of individuals with dementia report feeling lonely.
Lesley, who was diagnosed with dementia, attends many of the support groups and says that if she didn’t have access to them she would be sitting watching Gogglebox on the tv.
She said: “Sometimes there’s nothing on that you really want to watch, but you put it on, especially when you live alone, just for background noise.”
Click here to find out more about Salford Dementia services.
