Prime Minister opens care home’s dementia cafe

The Prime Minister has opened a community café within the grounds of Middletown Grange Care Home in Hailey, Oxfordshire.

A small, unused cottage in the grounds has been transformed into a KIND café. ‘KIND’ stands for Keeping Individuality through Nurturing Dementia.

The split-level, KIND café is an inviting meeting place and aims to provide much-needed support networks for individuals living with dementia, their relatives, friends and carers.

It is a place where advice and social interaction is available in a well equipped and pleasant setting, with refreshments and home-baked goods.

Barchester, the independent healthcare provider that operates the care home, has invested in the café to provide local support services for those directly and indirectly affected by dementia in the community.

The café has been designed for those living with dementia and includes comfortable seating, a rummage box area and a life-skills kitchen.

The Prime Minister said: “Middletown Grange Care Home is exceptional in its dedication to provide individual, tailored care to people with dementia. I was delighted to open the KIND community café, which will play an important role in bringing together residents, their families, professionals and the wider community to raise awareness and understanding of this condition.”

The café will hold weekly events including short talks by care professionals from charities like the Alzheimer’s Society as well as varied, meaningful activities to promote the retention of life skills.

Fiona Linnington, general manager at Middletown Grange, said: “The KIND café is a great addition to our home. We already reach out and welcome so many individuals and groups from the local community and I’m proud to offer yet another warm and understanding environment right on our doorstep.”

Mike Parsons, founder and chief executive of Barchester Healthcare, said: “Cafés are often seen as community hubs. Through hosting a KIND café within our care home’s grounds we are encouraging social interaction and engagement. We are also helping to meet The Prime Minister’s ‘Challenge on Dementia’, promoting greater awareness, advice resources, peer support and the development of dementia friendly communities. Barchester is committed to finding ways of delivering exceptional services based on meeting local needs. We are always keen to explore how best to support those that need it most.”