A SPECIAL carol service and festive afternoon tea is being held by Faithfully Ageing Better for people living with dementia, their friends, family and carers.
The Service will take place on Friday, December 15 at 2pm at St Barnabas Church, St Barnabas Road, Linthorpe, TS5 6JR.
While anyone can go along and enjoy the Christmas event, the service will especially welcome anyone living with dementia and their carers thanks to a team of dementia friendly trained volunteers.
The Christmas story will be retold through a live nativity and the singing of some favourite carols. There will also be an opportunity to reflect and pray for loved ones.
Everyone is also invited to enjoy a festive afternoon tea after the service.
Kate Wells, Faithfully Ageing Better worker, said: “The idea for the service grew out of the Singing for the Brain groups where people living with dementia and their carers can enjoy an afternoon of music with favourite songs that bring back memories of times, places and people that are loved.
“We hope that this special carol service will be a wonderful afternoon of celebration, and sharing at this special time of year.”
Brian Rowcroft from Dementia Friendly Middlesbrough said: “One of the key factors in living well with dementia is the understanding that, while short term memory is often affected and therefore someone with dementia may not remember the details of an activity, the ability to recall feelings is intact for much longer.
“Research has shown that even when some memories are hard to retrieve, music is one of the easier things to recall. Who hasn’t switched on the radio and had their spirits lifted by a favourite song, or been reminded of a loved one on hearing something they loved to dance to?
“Christmas carols are a significant part of that memory of music, being sung every year from early childhood, and connecting with happy memories of family and community celebrations.”
For more information about the service email Kate at kate.wells@togethermc.org or call her on 07532744924.
Faithfully Ageing Better is part of Ageing Better Middlesbrough. This local organisation is funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund. It works in partnership with older people to strengthen communities and find ways to tackle loneliness and social isolation in people who are over 50.