Memory cafe engagement

Healthwatch Herefordshire Engaged with 70 people, those who are living with dementia and their carers, at Leominster, Ross-on-Wye and Hereford in October and November 2015. Healthwatch Herefordshire were asking them what made a service good when thinking about the services they, as service users or carers, found beneficial to their health and wellbeing. To take on board negative perspectives, we were asking people what would have made their experiences good ones and what they find useful. The feedback was grouped into the most discussed categories of services, with each locality having slightly differing priorities. Hereford City: Support in communities, Carers Support, GP’s support, Memory Cafe’s and singing for the brain. Leominster: Memory Cafe’s and singing for the brain, Support from care services, GP’s support. Ross-on-Wye: GP’s, Memory Cafe’s and singing for the brain, The 2Gether Memory Service.

In general there were many positive experiences of formal services and voluntary sector support. There was a strong positive response from people indicating that informal community based support, such as neighbours, friends, social groups & church groups, were the most valued in terms of impact on wellbeing. It was consistently raised that there was a need for more activity in the localities, as the formal and informal provision centred in Hereford City, many people said they are not able to access these because of transport.