Older members from Jewish Care’s dementia community groups including the Memory Way Cafe, Singing for Memory, Professional Gentleman’s Club, Movement for Memory and Art for the Mind enjoyed an uplifting and fun afternoon of lunch, entertainment, and plenty of dancing to celebrate the upcoming Jewish festival of Purim.
50 members and 10 staff and volunteers danced the afternoon away to many of their favourite songs at Jewish Care’s Community Dementia Purim party at the Michael Sobell Jewish Community centre in Golders Green.
Louisa Platt, a member of Jewish Care’s member of the Memory Way Café in Redbridge, attended the Purim party on her birthday with her daughter, Amanda. Speaking fondly of the afternoon, she said, “it was such a wonderful and enjoyable Purim party and afternoon, the volunteers were all absolutely fantastic. I really love to dance and it was a great way to celebrate my birthday – I’m twenty-one again!
“I got engaged at twenty-one and married at twenty-five and I have four children, thirteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.”
Speaking at the party, Jamie Field, Jewish Care’s Head of Community Services and Volunteering, said, “It was wonderful to have our groups for people living with dementia and their family carers, together to celebrate the Jewish festival of Purim at our party. It was a beautiful event and so special to have many guests joining us from across our communities for people living with dementia from Finchley, Golders Green, Stanmore, Harrow and Redbridge. We couldn’t do this without our amazing volunteers and staff, so we say a huge thank you for all that they do.”
Jewish Care’s community services support hundreds of people living with dementia each week and they are a lifeline for many of our members. The organisations groups and dementia day centres provide a safe and nurturing environment with a range of exciting and meaningful activities for people living with dementia to promote independence with benefits to physical and cognitive wellbeing with a person-centred programme in a sociable environment. This also offers respite for family carers, who receive support whilst knowing that their family member is being supported in an understanding and stimulating place with specialist staff and volunteers. These services which receive no Government funding, are only possible with the generous support of the community.
Jewish Care’s Purim Zumba is also back this year as hundreds of pupils from eight schools and five nurseries are dancing their way into Purim and taking part in the annual fundraising initiative to raise funds for Dance Therapy sessions at Jewish Care’s centres for people living with dementia, supporting the older members of our community.