WELLINGTON charity Reminiscence Learning has been chosen as the recipient of a £500 award as part of a new initiative set up by local insurance brokers Lloyd & Whyte.
Based in Taunton, the long-established insurance broker launched the initiative via The British Dental Association (BDA), inviting BDA Good Practice members, (those dental practices who hold particularly high standards), to nominate their favourite charities for an award of £500 from the Movement for Good campaign.
The High Street clinic, Wellington Dental Practice, has nominated Reminiscence Learning as their chosen charity who will receive the money.
Reminiscence Learning is a charity in Wellington that has been supporting people with dementia and their families for two decades. They specialise in dementia care, activities and reminiscence.
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Emily Kasai, assistant manager from Wellington Dental Practice, explained: “We heard of Reminiscence Learning a few years ago. We have a lot of older patients, some of which have memory loss and dementia issues, so it is really important to us to work with this charity.”
The Lloyd & Whyte team met up with charity founder Fiona Mahoney, who is an occupational therapist. Fiona set up Reminiscence Learning in 2001, which then become a registered charity in 2023. Their initial remit was to train staff and the public in how to run reminiscence sessions to help those suffering with dementia.
In the UK, there are an estimated 944,000 people living with dementia, and one in eleven people over 65 have dementia.
Reminiscence therapy, which includes baking, singing and seated exercise, can help people with dementia improve their memory, attention span, and cognitive functioning. It can also help exercise their communication skills and positively impact their daily interactions.
Reminiscence Learning also undertake training and community projects in schools and offices to improve dementia awareness.
Shane Mace, from Reminiscence Learning, said: “By having this generous donation we’re able to carry on supporting our community outreach projects, give those living with dementia, respite carer and their family carers some extra little treats over this festive period.”
You can find out more about the charity at https://www.reminiscencelearning.co.uk/.