The Limerick Dementia Social Club has announced a programme of activities for the next several weeks.
ON the first Wednesday of each month, Limerick Dementia Social Club meets at Our Lady of Lourdes Community Centre, Childers Road, from 6.30pm to 8.45pm.
The social club provides an opportunity for people with dementia and their carers to socialise and partake in stimulating activities.
Mags O’Sullivan, who established the club in 2018 alongside her co-workers, told the Limerick Voice that she set up the club to link in with the community and provide better services for people living with dementia and their carers:
“Services for people with dementia and their carers was very poor back then, so the aim of the social club was to link in with persons in the community like singers, musicians and magicians to come to the club and entertain the group.”
The club will host a ‘Fleming Ball’ and a ‘Craic agus Ceol’ session next Wednesday, November 4, while every third Wednesday the group are welcome to take part in professional music therapist Cathy McGlynn’s ‘Melodies Memory Choir’.
Ms O’Sullivan told the Limerick Voice that “it’s great to see the group become so animated” during music sessions.
“We have people in the club that have difficulty with communication and expressive language, yet when we sing together, they may remember a whole verse of a song,” she said.
Alongside music sessions, Ms O’Sullivan said that their monthly gatherings often consist of guest speakers who provide information about nutrition, mobility, and other important aspects of care for dementia patients.
She explained that “this information benefits the person with dementia but also the carer because very often members might not be able to retain the information being given, so at least the carer can bring that home and put it into practice.”
Ms O’Sullivan emphasised the importance of these sessions as a non-judgemental space where members can be free to express themselves and to avoid isolation.
She explained that the goal of these gatherings is to break down barriers and reduce stigma around dementia:
“A person with dementia can still socialise and really enjoy themselves, there may be one or two behaviours they’ve developed because of their dementia, but they still have their personhood, they still are the person they always were.”
The club will be fundraising during their ‘Christmas Festive Evening’ with a raffle and spot prizes, which takes place on Wednesday, December 2 this year.
For more information about upcoming activities over the next few months, contact Mags O’Sullivan at limerickdementiasc@gmail.com.