New Memory Cafe opens in Macroom
A new Memory Café has been launched in Macroom which aims to support people living with dementia and their families in the area.
The Alzheimer Society of Ireland (The ASI) launched the new cafe on Monday in the Next-Door Café in the Castle Hotel Macroom. This project was spearheaded by Friends of ASI Macroom.
In April 2023, The ASI’s Friends of ASI hosted a dementia-inclusive community event in Macroom which led to the creation of Friends of ASI Macroom, which is a group of local leaders dedicated to creating a dementia-inclusive town. Memory Cafes provide a warm and welcoming space for people with dementia, their family and friends and social and health care professionals to meet, exchange ideas and learnings.
Marian Kelleher, whose husband Tadhg lives with dementia and accesses ASI Services said: “It’s great for us to have a place to pop in and have a tea and talk to people going through the same situation. It’s really lovely, and it’ll give us an opportunity to socialise with people.”
Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler TD officially opened the café. “The Macroom Memory Café will provide invaluable information on topics related to dementia, while also providing social contact and peer support to people with dementia and their families in a welcoming environment. Currently we are striving to make Macroom a dementia-inclusive community and this Memory Café is another step towards reaching this goal.”
Head of Operations and Community Engagement at The ASI, Siobhan O’Connor, said: “It’s an honour for me to open any service, and it’s a special bonus when it’s my hometown. I want to thank the Friends of ASI Macroom for taking the lead on this and creating a safe space for people living with dementia and their families in Macroom to come and spend some time with people in similar situations. Living with the condition can be a lonely experience, so having this space every month can be a great outlet for people.
“A special thanks to Rory Buckley & his staff at The Castle Hotel for opening their doors to us. What a difference a year has made and it just shows what can be achieved when a community responds, I am so proud of the range of services now available in the Macroom area for people living with dementia & their families.”