‘We want to turn stigma on its head’: Dementia café granted charity status as it celebrates 10 years
A café in Luton has been granted charity status as it marks 10 years of supporting people living with dementia and their carers.
Maria Collins and Christine Boyd started Young@Heart Café in 2016 at St John’s The Apostle, in Sundon Park Road.
After both their mothers were diagnosed with dementia, the ladies wanted to help those living with the condition and the people caring for them by creating a welcoming, inclusive and calming environment for everyone to enjoy together.
Maria, a former nurse and care company manager, had experience on both sides of dementia care and used this to form the café.
She explained: “I wanted them to come and have a social interaction without any worry, and give the carers an opportunity to build some positive memories during the journey that they go on.”
From having just nine people attend their first session, the project has grown and now has 100 guests attending every Wednesday for the two-hour session. And there is even a waiting list due to the demand.
Live entertainment was a crucial element for Maria to include, emphasising the importance of music for those with dementia.
She said: “Music gets into their soul, and it makes them want to get up and move, which sends them home with happy endorphins running around their brain.”
Young@Heart Café now has its own choir that will perform on the Luton Point indoor stage at this weekend’s St Patrick’s Day festival.
Maria said: “We developed it by channelling the diminishing inhibitions that people with dementia live with… They like to perform, and they have no inhibitions about being embarrassed in front of anybody or anything.”
Whether it's craft sessions, going on theatre trips, meeting schoolchildren or enjoying afternoon teas, the café has all sorts going on.
The charity status, granted by the Charity Commission, means that the café can make sure it is there to support people for years to come.
Maria said: “It’s about defining your objectives, what your structure looks like… it also means that we can put in place things like Gift Aid for anybody who gives us a donation… companies can be assured that we’ve got a rigorous governance framework and we’re accountable and transparent in what we do.”
The project also hopes to change perceptions of people living with the condition and show positive engagement with the community.
She added: “We want to turn stigma on its head… The whole thing about the choir is to expose dementia to the community, but in a very positive way.”