Dementia activity centre launches innovative service supporting families and individuals dealing with the disease

News Desk
Authored by News Desk
Posted Monday, May 6, 2019 - 7:14am

Established in 2017, The Ness Dementia Centre in Teignmouth is a dementia community hub based on the Dutch dementia meeting centre model. It is one of the first centres in the UK to use this model and is helping Devon lead the way in dementia community care.

The model recognizes the need to involve not only the family, and the individual but the whole community in helping that individual to remain in their own home for as long as possible.

The centre runs courses for carers, cognitive stimulation for early diagnosis, home enablement and day activities designed to stimulate their brain and increase physical activity in a social and comfortable environment. This holistic approach has been found to slow decline and manage some of the symptoms of the illness. 

New to 2019, The Ness Centre is introducing a brand new service, The Ness Shed. This is taking the well-known idea of a Men’s Shed and innovating it to create a practical space suitable for those with memory problems. It opens this month (May) and will be available not only to those with memory problems but to all the local community, The Ness Shed will be a place for individuals to take part in creative and manual activities such as woodwork and pottery, with the support of professionally trained enablers. 

They will be running 2 membership options. A non-supervised membership option available to individuals with limited or no dementia, allowing them to use the facilities daily between 9-5 and a supervised option, for people with more severe dementia. These supervised classes will run 4 times a week with each class lasting around 2 hours long.

“We are really excited to launch our new Ness Shed, much like our main centre, we have worked with many professionals in the industry to take an old idea and redesign it to ensure the space is as inviting as possible for people dealing with the illness. We are hoping to break down old misconceptions and biases linked with dementia and make it a welcoming space for the whole community.” - Jonathan, Managing Director

Socialisation is crucial for people living with dementia, so all the activities that members take part in at the main centre have this in mind. From daily art and craft sessions, Tai-Chi and dance to music and animal therapy, each and every activity is adapted to suit the individual needs of our centre members.

"Rosie has been so much happier since starting at The Ness Dementia Centre. She often laughs and engages with us after her time there. The specialist Ness team have made a big difference to her quality of life.” - Husband, Steve 

The team at The Ness work closely with both individuals around the community and local care professionals such as GPs, care homes, and social workers. Many members will use The centre a couple of days a week alongside other professional support in order to get the additional stimulation they need to keep their brains active.  You can book as little or as many sessions per week to suit your requirements.

In addition to the day care offered at the centre, they also provide home enablement for individuals who may lack confidence or would prefer one-to-one support to remain socially connected and stimulated.

A free trial is currently available at The Ness Centre and The Ness Shed. The launch event for the new Ness Shed will be held on Thursday 23rd May 2019 at 4:30pm, please call the team on 01626 774799, visit www.atlas.careor email info@atlas.care to find out more or to book a free session. Visit their Facebook page Atlas - The Ness Dementia Centre for event information and launch details. 

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