• ON Saturday the Kingsgate Centre, which provides specialist support for older residents and those living with dementia, celebrated its first birthday.

And what a first year it has been. When you walk into Kingsgate it simply feels a lovely, happy place to be. Light and open, it’s a sociable place where users can eat, socialise and do activities together, as well as benefiting from facilities including a sensory room.

In Camden we work to the ethos of supporting adults to retain their independence and reduce isolation. This means making the centre an integral part of the wider community and helping its users build relationships.

In its first year it has linked up with the local nursery to bring older and younger generations together for mutual benefit, while some of its users regularly attend the gardening project at Mill Lane, a social enterprise managed by the Camden Society.

Kingsgate’s success is no coincidence. Residents and users played an integral role in its design and development, a practice we looks to replicate when designing our housing and community centre developments.

But while Kingsgate is the hub of our dementia support, we’re reaching out in all areas of the borough. The HNCC Wellness café, based at the Ingestre Community Centre, offers advice, activities and a £3 cooked lunch for both people with dementia and their carers, between 10am and 3pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The message is we are here to help. If you, someone in your family, or someone you know, needs support with dementia, please contact us on 020 7624 8818 to discuss your situation, or take a look at some of the support on offer at camdencarechoices.camden.gov.uk.

CLLR PAT CALLAGHAN
Cabinet Member for Tackling Health Inequality & Promoting Independence

CLLR LARRAINE REVAH