Haymoor Day Hospital (Poole)
There is a wide range of local services and activities, provided by the NHS, charities and community groups, to support people living with dementia and their carers/loved ones.
Community mental health teams for older people (CMHTs-OP) help people who have a mental health problem and live in their own home or a care home. The service provided by CMHT-OPs will focus on patients with a significant mental disorder who are aged 65 and over or those under 65 years who have complex memory problems.
The memory assessment service (MAS) assesses, diagnoses and support adults with memory problems (which could be related to dementia).
Our speech and language therapy (SALT) teams can assess swallowing and give advice on diet or fluid modification, as well as any changes to positioning, behaviour and utensils that may reduce any risks for people with dementia.
We also have a dietician service which can offer advice on diet and nutritional requirements for patients who meet its referral criteria, including people with dementia and their families.
If you care for someone with dementia, please visit our carers pages for information about the support available.
See also our pages on intensive community support for dementia teams and Admiral Nurses.
Our partners Help and Care provide a dementia co-ordinator service across Dorset for people who have a diagnosis of any dementia and their carers/families. Help and Care works in a contracted partnership with our memory assessment service (MAS) to do this and shares information to enable services to work as seamlessly as possible.
Age UK provides cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) in partnership with MAS and Help and Care. CST is a free group therapy service in the community and available to Dorset people living with dementia. Find more information about CST groups in Bournemouth, Poole and east Dorset and groups in north, south and west Dorset.
These are just some of the local community resources available for people with dementia, there are many more, it might be helpful to get further information from your local library or do an on online search for activities in your own area.
Singing for the Brain and Memory Cafes
To find local Dorset groups such as please check out Dementia-Friendly Dorset
Jolly Good Company
Offers uplifting indoor and outdoor activities for older people in the Dorset countryside. To make sure that our service suits you and your needs we will need to talk to you before you attend our sessions. All our groups are dementia friendly and open to everyone.
To find out more or to book email sarah
Walking football
A great way to exercise and for all ages and abilities is walking football. This activity is put on in different areas in Dorset.
'Trusted to Care' dementia cafe
The Potteries Care Home runs its 'Trusted to Care' dementia cafe in Poole on the last Tuesday of the month at The Club Hub.
Purbeck Forget-Me-Not
Purbeck Forget-Me-Not Meeting Centre is a social club providing the opportunity for activities and support to adapt and adjust to the physical, social and psychological changes that dementia brings, held in Wareham - more information can be found at Purbeck Forget-Me-Not
Making Memories
A local offer for dementia-friendly film showings in Swanage at the Mowlem Theatre. More information can be found on theHelp and Kindness website
Livability Flourish
Livability's Flourish project offers a range of activities to support people in the community, including those with dementia - find out more HERE
Future Roots - Countrymen's Club @ Rylands Farm, Dorchester - Future Roots run programmes for men aged 50+ from Rylands Farm, which is known as The Countrymen’s Club and also a separate club for their carers.
Activities are tailored to the preferences of the group & needs, which can be very broad ranging and include working with animals and spending time touring the farm and discussing changes, through to picking fruit or vegetables and then cooking a meal to be shared. Other activities include art therapy, traditional songs and poems, general woodwork or small building projects. Building projects are driven by the needs of each site so usually relate to agriculture or horticulture. Workshops are available on both sites. Many sessions include an element of reminiscence through involvement in current issues.
The Countrymen's Club is on Tuesday afternoons and transport is available to collect men from Dorchester through to Cerne and Sherborne.