Bield home offers unique dining experience to people with dementia

A Bield care home is offering people with dementia a unique opportunity to enjoy the experience of dining out with their families.

Whitehill Court, in Kirkintilloch, has launched Mary’s Kitchen, a relaxing on-site dining room, where people with dementia can enjoy the experience of eating out with their loved ones instead of visiting a restaurant, something they often find difficult and challenging.

The service, which is being funded by a £20,000 grant from Shared Care Scotland, has been created in memory of Mary Abel, who worked at the Bield day support service for 18 years before sadly passing away earlier this year.

Speaking about the idea behind the evenings, service manager Rhona Forrest said: “People with dementia can’t always go out to restaurants as it can be a very stressful and sometimes embarrassing experience for them.

“We wanted to take away this stress by creating a special restaurant within the service so people can come and relax because they know where they are. Our staff will also be on hand throughout the evenings to help with any difficulties and ensure everyone can enjoy the family experience of eating meals together.

“The venture has been created in memory of Mary Abel who worked here for 18 years. She knew about the project before she passed away and absolutely loved it. She was always keen to get the service users involved and wanted families to spend more time together, which hopefully will happen with these evenings.

“Mary’s family are delighted that we have created the evening in memory of her as we all know how happy she would be to be involved in such a positive initiative.”

The service has been warmly welcomed by Bield chief executive Brian Logan, who said: “As Scotland’s leading provider of housing, care and community services for older people we are dedicated to providing quality care which enhances and enriches lives.

“Our ‘Free to Be’ commitment is very much at the heart of Bield’s mission – to let people make their own choices about how they live their lives but being there to support them when they need it.

“We can’t thank enough the staff who have made Mary’s idea come to life, which will benefit many of the people who use this service and their families. We hope this is just the beginning of a long running project that we might see in other services across Scotland.”

Mary’s Kitchen can be booked from 5pm until 10pm.