Creating a Dementia friendly community with The Gateway Theatre
This new programme of screenings, which will take place monthly from December 2023, has been in planning since The Gateway Team and volunteer community participated on a free Dementia Awareness workshop provided by Home Instead, in May.
Cinemas offer so much to people of all ages but for those in later life, they can provide a really powerful way for people to reconnect to their past, with memories and with other people. A visit to the ‘pictures’ is a wonderful thing, but for those living with Dementia, it isn’t always a supportive environment. This is where our new Dementia Aware cinema event comes in…
Creating a welcoming environment for all, Dementia Friendly Cinemas have proven to be hugely therapeutic for people with living with memory problems and their families and care givers alike. In addition to stimulating the brain and awakening emotions, being an active part of an audience and collectively enjoying a film helps people with dementia and their carers to feel less isolated within their community, and also challenges the stigma associated with the condition.
To support this, the fantastic Gateway Team have been willing to create a unique set up for the coming Nostalgic Family Cinema, which will include relaxed table seating, refreshments served throughout, subtitles to assist full enjoyment of the film by any members of the audience who are hard of hearing, a slightly lower volume and soft lighting.
Raising awareness with regard to Dementia via our free Community Talks, and of course, by training our team to the highest level in order to support clients living with Dementia, is of real importance to us at Home Instead.
As Chair of the East Devon Coastal Towns Dementia Action Alliance, our Owner/MD Mark McGlade, is passionate about highlighting the needs of those living with Dementia in our community, and is dedicated to opening minds, and doors, with regard to this – making sponsorship of the Seaton Nostalgic Family Cinema perfect for us at Home Instead.
Having pledged to support the Gateway Theatre event for the year ahead, our very first Home Instead sponsored screening is a festive family favourite in the form of ‘Elf’, filmed in 2003. This will be followed monthly – on the third Tuesday of each month – by greats including musicals such as, Summer Holiday (January), and Sister Act (February).
The Gateway Theatre is the perfect venue for this event, being at the heart of a community in Seaton that already connects those living with dementia so well, via a host of support groups. As part of our sponsorship, the team at Home Instead have also created some reminiscence resources in the form of fun quizzes to further encourage interaction and conversation, which will be available on the day.
Whilst promoted as a dementia friendly screening, ourselves and The Gateway team really do hope that anyone who loves films from across the decades, will come along for an afternoon of fond memories and friendship.
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If you would like to speak to a member of our team regarding our tailor-made companionship and care services, please don’t hesitate. Call us on 01395 200600, take a look around our website or find us on Facebook and discover why we are different.