New Montrose dementia meeting centre opens doors

Launched as a joint venture with the Montrose Community Hub, ’Montrose Connections’ will be based in the hub’s Murray Street premises and will operate for three days per week.

The centre, which welcomed its first users on Monday, follows an established model of providing community-based inclusive intervention to support people with mild to moderate dementia and their family carers.

There are more than 150 such centres in the Netherlands that have demonstrated benefits for people living with dementia, including reducing behavioural and psychological problems and delaying admission to residential care. Typically, the centres are based in community buildings.

The new Montrose facility takes its name from the general ethos of meeting centres, where the word ‘connect’ features heavily in describing their aim, by providing a safe and welcoming environment for people to socialise, connect, and live well following a dementia diagnosis.

The initiative seeks to replicate the success of that in Kirriemuir at Kirrie Connections, who pioneered the UK movement in Angus.

Gemma Lownie, project manager, said: “Following a diagnosis of dementia, people often feel overwhelmed and confused about where to access help.

"Support for people and families affected by dementia is often fragmented and varies tremendously across the country. We plan for our meeting centre to be a hub of activity and information, providing support on a local level to provide a better quality of life for individuals and their families.”

Sessions will support between 10 and 15 members per day and it will be open to people of all ages and types of dementia.

It will be operated by a small team of staff and volunteers trained in the ethos of person-centred dementia care and the ‘Adjusting to Change Model’. At its heart is a social club where people meet to have fun and access help that focuses on individual needs.

Further information by emailing Kylie at [email protected] or calling Gemma on 07799 376943