Nhs Memory Services

We have forged links with NHS Memory Services. A Clinical Nurse Specialist from East London NHS Foundation Trust runs a post-diagnostic clinic at Young@Heart Café for those newly diagnosed with dementia and their carers.

The clinic is a good opportunity to discuss the importance of avoiding social isolation, good diet and general wellbeing. It also gives new guests the chance to get the full Young@Heart experience, with tea, coffee and biscuits on tap!

The nurse can also give informal advice about things like getting someone’s affairs in order and may refer guests back to their GP if necessary.

Alzheimer’s Society

We also work with the Alzheimer's Society and run a support session while the Young@Heart Café is in progress.

A support worker attends once a month and Young@Heart Café refer guests to her if they need help or assistance with things like completing an Attendance Allowance form or signpost them to more formal local services.

This is a really valuable service demonstrating how communities can partner with specialist services and make the pathway to services much easier to access.

We are currently working through the Alzheimer Society’s toolkit to become a Dementia Friendly organisation.

Home Instead

Home Instead Luton and Central Bedfordshire offer home help, companionship, personal care and dementia care to people across Luton and throughout Central Bedfordshire.

In their service reviews the Young@Heart Café is included as an option, enabling CAREgivers to take the person they care for. Carers can stay and have a sing song or leave their loved one safely at the café and treat the afternoon as a respite service. Find out more about Home Instead Luton 

Local SuPPORT

To maintain the Young@Heart Café our funding is predominantly from individuals and local organisations such as the Working Mens Riverdance who organise their own fundraising events to support us.

To everyone who has supported us and continues to us we would like to say a big ‘thank you’. We could not do this without you.

Parish of Holy Family & St John The Apostle

Last but definitely not least, we couldn’t have done any of our work without the support of the Roman Catholic Parish of The Holy Family & St John The Apostle.

The Young@Heart Café has been hosted at their meeting room from Day One back in 2016, and we continue to thrive thanks to their continuing support.

The Parish has been awarded dementia-friendly status by the Luton Dementia Action Alliance as part of the Dementia UK initiative.