Living well with dementia in Surrey

Ahead of Dementia Action Week, we highlight how local groups and services are helping people stay connected and supported

When Pat first learned her husband had dementia, she felt lost and unsure where to turn for help.

That all changed when she discovered the Purple Angels, a local group which provides meaningful support for them both. For her husband, it means music, singing and the chance to socialise with others. For Pat, it offers understanding, companionship and a supportive community of fellow carers.

With Dementia Action Week approaching (19 to 25 May), it’s a fitting time to highlight the support available in Surrey for people living with dementia and their families.

Surrey is home to a wide range of community and voluntary organisations which, like the Purple Angels in Spelthorne, support people with a dementia diagnosis to enjoy a better quality of life.

Connect to Support Surrey is your comprehensive online directory of support in the community. Use it to search for dementia support in your area or any other help you may need to stay independent.

Jean Saunders and Lisa Greaves set up the Purple Angels more than a decade ago. They were inspired by the original Purple Angels initiative in Devon and driven by their own experiences supporting their mothers with dementia, which gave them an understanding of the support families often need.

Jean even took on a parachute jump at nearly 70 – wearing her distinctive Purple Angels top - to raise the funds needed to launch the charity, officially known as Spelthorne Dementia Support.

More than 100 people, both those living with dementia and their carers, now regularly benefit from the charity’s support. Their services include a memory café offering entertainment, friendship and a home-cooked lunch, a carers’ café, regular day trips and a dementia choir which enables people to enjoy the benefits of music and singing.

“People with dementia love music and they can remember the words and they like dancing, and carers can relax, and there’s no pressure,” Lisa said. Purple Angels is based out of the Greeno Centre in Shepperton, which is also home to a number of other local groups and charities.

Pat and her husband are among their regulars. “I came to meet the Purple Angels and they have changed our lives. My husband enjoys coming here to the Monday sessions, to the dementia choir. He’s a changed person through it all and the socialising. It’s good for both of us,” she said.

Find out more about the Purple Angels via the Spelthorne Dementia Support website. You can also find dementia cafés, choirs and other things to do by searching Connect to Support Surrey with the dementia filter.

Dementia support from Surrey Libraries

Did you know that there many services provided by Surrey Libraries to support people with Dementia? One of these is the Reminiscence Collection. It is designed for anyone in Surrey who is supporting someone with dementia or memory impairment, whether at home or in a care or group setting. With nearly 650 items, the collection features a wide range of materials for use in reminiscence therapy, all aimed at evoking memories and stimulating discussion and conversation.  We have recently introduced several new items to the collection and a new catalogue is now available.

Other significant services provided by Surrey Libraries to support people with Dementia include access to the Reading Well for Dementia booklist from The Reading Agency and the installation of Interactive Project Systems that encourage physical activity and movement in a library setting and improves the quality of life for people with a cognitive challenge. These include the Tovertafel table at Banstead Library and the Obie projector at Ash Library.

For more information about other services available, please go to our Dementia Support in Libraries webpage.