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Bantry Memory Cafe is back on Wednesday March 1, from 11am-1pm, in the library of the Maritime Hotel. This free monthly service provides a warm, welcoming and relaxed place to meet others living with Dementia/Cognitive impairments, as well as health and social care professionals.

There will be free tea and coffee, some useful information and an opportunity to chat with others. Sarah Cairns, Dementia Educator, is speaking at the March Memory Cafe about how to retain information for people with Alzheimers and other memory difficulties. She will offer tips for retaining information outside of your short term memory; for example, building in routines and using physical cues to hold the information such as checking a whiteboard before leaving the house. Physical cues can direct you to the information that you need.

Evie Finlay, Community Worker with Cork South Community Work Department said:

The Bantry Memory Cafe is a new initiative for 2023. Over 30 people attended the relaxed launch of the Bantry Memory Cafe in February, including people with dementia or cognitive impairments, their friends and family, along with health and social care professionals.

Susan O’Sullivan, senior physiotherapist with Bantry Primary Care team, gave some tips on building movement into your day and spoke about the benefits of exercise on your overall health – including brain health. Vanessa Bradbury, Dementia Advisor with the Alzheimer Society, spoke about her service and some of the supports out there. We are really looking forward to the March meeting.

Juliette O’Donoghue, Cafe Co-ordinator said:

The cafe is a very warm and welcoming space for those affected by Dementia. You can get a cup of tea, chat to others and get useful information from health and social care professionals – all in the same place.

The Memory Cafe is run in partnership by the Family Carers & Older Persons initiative at Local Link, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, the HSE (Bantry Primary Care Team, Bantry General Hospital & Cork South Community Work Department), Bantry Age Friendly Dementia Sub-group and other volunteers. It is funded by Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, HSE.

Bantry Memory Café is a member of the Irish Dementia Cafe Network. The Irish Dementia Cafe Network is a network of dementia cafes around Ireland, each of which is run according to a set of shared principles and guidelines. To find out more, go to www.dementiacafe.ie

For further information on Bantry Memory Cafe, contact Cafe Co-ordinator Juliette O’Donoghue on 087 910 3036 or [email protected].