Who are Memory Matters?
Laura Walker is a Mental Health Nurse and Kate Smith is a Registered General Nurse. In 2010 they formed Memory Matters South West CIC.
Both Kate and Laura are extremely passionate about what they do, five minutes with them both and you will see that they are driven by a positive outlook for those living with dementia.
They are advocates for living well with dementia in everything they do.
This idea for Memory Matters came from many years of working with people living with dementia. There seemed, at the time, to be a gap. Laura and Kate talked extensively with people living with dementia and their families in our communities and realised that following diagnosis there was very little access to research based provision activity. The Day Centres had all closed,, budgets were getting tighter but the need remained.
To Kate and Laura, this seemed unfair to those who were living with dementia and it gave the carers little in the way of support or respite from their caring lives. It was heartbreaking to see families struggling.
Laura and Kate chose the Social Enterprise Model for their organisation - this enables them to reinvest any surplus back into the organisation. This surplus subsidises the cost for to those using the services, to ensure it remains affordable and sustainable. We don't rely on grants but do build services and run projects from grants received.
Memory Matters started by providing one to one Activity and Occupation at home with a lovely family in Cornwall. They were caring for their father at home. He was living with moderate dementia and the family realised that he was deteriorating without stimulation.The family were very busy, still working and trying their best to engage with their father. They were tired and worried that without any stimulation he would need to be placed in residential care. They wanted him to be with them at home but didn't know how they could manage it.
The family asked us if we could visit to give him some Cognitive Stimulation Therapy based activities to stimulate and engage him.
This released the gentleman's carers to have a couple of hours a week to go and do the shopping and spend some time caring for themselves for a change.
The interest for this service grew rapidly - there were enough domiciliary care providers providing the personal care option, but very limited longer visits to build in activity and spend time getting to know the family. Laura and Kate quickly realised that this was much more than just activity. The Activity Worker team grew into a fantastic caring service which not only supported the person with dementia but supported the whole family, Many of our Activity Workers that started with nearly 7 years ago are still in our team, loving their work and many have almost become members of the family they support. They are able to help with future planning, and enabling the carers to take some time out for themselves, in turn, enabling them to care at home for longer. The Activity Workers work on a minimum visit of two hours to get the most out of the visit for all. http://www.memorymatterssw.co.uk/activity-workers/
In 2011, Laura and Kate set up the first Activity Day Club in Lostwithiel, Cornwall. At the time many people were attending local community run Memory Cafes ( Laura Volunteer led one in Cornwall) and expressed a need to have a full day taking part in engaging activity, and the carers longed for a day to themselves.
The Day Clubs are now spread out from Plymouth to Mid Cornwall. These Activity Club days provide our members a camaraderie amongst each other, something special happens at our day club. People living with mild to moderate dementia talk about their struggles, enjoy each there company, laugh and enjoy each day. Making friends, gaining valuable peer support and meeting each other outside the club day too! Memory Matters applied for a Reaching Communities Grant from the National Lottery in 2015. The aim of this grant was to research the benefits of attending the Day Club - the team are mindful that as the clubs only run on a maximum number of 8, this was limiting to our capacity to meet as many peoples needs as we could. The Lottery Grant is supporting the test in Cornwall to look at a free 24 week programme - this is slightly different to our day clubs. The lottery project continues to use the principles of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy but also looks at self care for example: what to do about cold callers, diet and fluid intake, keeping well and warm, and engages those that attend in there local community groups. Some of those that attend are also becoming volunteers for our rolling clubs, some are setting up their own peer support groups.
http://www.memorymatterssw.co.uk/activity-clubs/
To support those living with dementia and to make sure that the services are affordable to all, Kate and Laura share their passion with others in training other professionals and the general public, in a variety of subjects: From Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Facilitators Training, to Exploring Dementia - not any old dementia Training, but utilising real life examples, looking at what dementia really looks and feels like, putting the learners into the shoes of someone with dementia to really understand how life is. They also work with care establishments - looking at Activity and Occupation in Residential and Nursing Homes, and working with care staff to understand the importance of the person centred interactions everyday.
These training courses supply the surplus to reduce the cost for those with dementia.
http://www.memorymatterssw.co.uk/services--training/
Kate and Laura have seen times change in healthcare, have seen the effect of reduced services for those living with dementia. Their aim is to provide services built on need that is timely and supportive. Not just supportive of the people that use our services but also to statutory services.
We understand that times can be tough for allMemory Matters will continue build each service from a requested need and aim to meet the need in a positive way.
Memory Matters never test - we don't do quizzes, we don't ask who or what - we ask for opinions - everyone has a opinion regardless of ability. What they do is inclusive, supportive. We are a family. 
There are big projects on the horizon!! Have you heard about the Nationally Innovate Project in Plymouth City Centre Moments cafe and Hub -it's is on its way - a truly exciting project.http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/moments-cafe-dementia-hub?tk=08ee49c910fc422b8d83dc04020852f8a70e7e22#
Just to explain - at this stage your PLEDGE is exactly that. We will not receive any money , nor will it be taken from you, until the target is reached. This is an "all or nothing' campaign. It we don't reach the target - we get nothing
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