Forget Me Not is a charity group run by Volunteers for anyone with an illness or disability that requires the assistance of a carer to look after them.
Sessions are held at the Social Centre, Camposol B, every Monday and Thursday from 10.15am-1.15pm thereby enabling respite to the carer. We have a trained nurse at every meeting as well as skilled and compassionate Volunteers.
Forget Me Not ‘Cares for the Carer’ and know how valuable our sessions are, freeing up quality time for the carer who is constantly in demand looking after their loved ones’ every need. At our meetings we provide tea, coffee and biscuits and a free lunch for clients.
Forget Me Not prides themselves to always be there for the carer with help, advice or just a sympathetic ear.
At every meeting we have a craft session for those who want to join in and we make a vast array of paper crafts and love getting artistic with glitter and sequins, most of which ends up stuck to the table or ourselves, but most importantly we have a lot of fun. We enjoy a good old sing along whilst we are doing our crafts, much to the dismay of the gents who are usually playing a competitive game of dominoes. In addition to the crafts and dominoes, we often have a game of ‘Play Your Cards Right’, snakes and ladders, or we play memory games. Everyone’s favourite is Bingo which we play at the end of every session and we have just acquired a fantastic new bingo machine with illuminated numbers which has aided many of our clients with number recognition. For those having difficulty with their Bingo tickets, a volunteer is always at hand to help with dabbing the correct numbers to win small prizes. We see the Bingo as an aide memoire to help retain number identification; an invaluable life skill.
We are always happy to welcome new members to Forget Me Not, either clients or volunteers – all are welcome. Why not pop into one of our sessions for a cup of coffee and see exactly what we do? We are a cheery bunch and you are guaranteed a warm reception.
In addition to the meetings twice a week at the Social Centre, we have many fund raising events throughout the year. A regular event is a Fun Quiz at The Diner, Camposol B. These are held roughly once a month and includes a raffle with some amazing prizes. Keep an eye on Facebook for the next quiz or ask Jay and his staff at The Diner.
Lastly, a moment of reflection, as there are currently more than 55 million people living with Dementia worldwide, with nearly 10 million new cases every year. Although Dementia mainly affects older people, it is not an inevitable consequence of the ageing process. It has physical, psychological, social and economic impacts, not only for the person living with Dementia, but also their carers.