A memory group are celebrating a year of them getting together to support each other.
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00:00We're here at Birkwood Memorial Hall, and Karen, you're part of Magnolia Friends?
00:04I am.
00:05What is Magnolia Friends?
00:06I'm the founder of Magnolia Friends, so Magnolia Friends is a cafe where people can come each
00:12Thursday from 11 till 1 o'clock, and it's for people with memory loss or a diagnosis
00:17of dementia.
00:19So what do people get out of coming here then?
00:22We've just been chatting to John and Pauline, it's a big social side of it, isn't there?
00:26It is.
00:27Originally it was to combat isolation, which it is.
00:31It's where they can come here and not be judged, and they can get involved with anything that
00:36we do, or they can just sit amongst themselves and enjoy the teas and coffees, the word searches
00:41that we do as well.
00:43Yeah, we were saying, the little quizzes and that you get out on the table.
00:46We get them working, if we can.
00:47You've got a musician here today who's going to be singing a few songs for you.
00:50We have, yes.
00:51Images on display, it's great.
00:53So, how long have you been going?
00:55This is a bit of a special event, isn't it?
00:56It is, this is our first birthday.
00:58Yeah, fantastic.
01:00I think we're even going to have a round of happy birthday, aren't we?
01:02We are, we are, yes.
01:03So when people come along, do they tend to come along with a partner, is that how it works?
01:07Yeah, we encourage them to come along with a family member or a carer, or a friend, just
01:14so that we can talk to them both.
01:17And at some times we have sessions where, we call it a breakout, where the carer or
01:22the family member can leave this room, go into the next room, and they can have a chat
01:26amongst themselves.
01:27And then we can do some chair backs exercise, or another exercise or activity with the people
01:34who are left within the room.
01:36Well, I mean, you fill in the room, aren't you?
01:38You've got plenty of people.
01:40How many people do you normally have attending then?
01:42Is it once a week?
01:43It's once a week, and we get between 20 to 30 people coming.
01:47For somebody with this type of illness, it is about maximum that we want to be at, really.
01:54But we won't refuse anybody who comes to us.
01:58If we don't have two sessions, then we will.
02:01So everybody is welcome to come.
02:03Awesome.
02:04Well, thank you for inviting us down, Karen.
02:05And what a wonderful thing you've created here.
02:07Thank you very much.
02:08It's all, you know, we do it, I don't do it alone.
02:11I've got Sue, Janet, Dawn, and Janet, and lots of volunteers.
02:16And we wouldn't be able to do it without all the volunteers.
02:18Awesome, yeah.
02:19And the people that help us in the community as well.
02:21The counsellors as well.
02:23So it's a big thanks to everybody.
02:25It's a joint effort, a team effort.
02:27Well done to all involved.
02:28Who have we got then, guys?
02:29Hello.
02:30Hello.
02:31This is John.
02:32Great stuff.
02:33How are you?
02:34OK?
02:35We're fine.
02:36We always say this, don't we?
02:37You've got it.
02:38Yeah.
02:39How long have you been coming here then?
02:41Almost a year.
02:42Yeah?
02:43Oh, pretty much from the off then.
02:44From the beginning, the month after we started.
02:47Wow.
02:48So what is it you get out of coming here?
02:50It's meeting people and talking.
02:52Friendship.
02:53Most of all, friendship.
02:54And the caring.
02:56Yeah.
02:57The atmosphere is good.
02:58Yeah.
02:59And what sort of fun stuff do you get up to?
03:02I see you've got some quizzes, haven't you, and stuff.
03:04This is good, the way the people make all this effort for us to do, you know.
03:09Yeah.
03:10We appreciate it.
03:11Yeah, yeah.
03:12It's the kind of thing we don't get at home.
03:14Yeah, yeah.
03:15So you come here and just, you know, do it with old people.
03:18Yeah.
03:19They're all so helpful.
03:21I'm already getting a sense.
03:22There's a real nice, friendly buzz in the room, isn't there?
03:24Yeah.
03:25And I like that.
03:26Yeah, yeah.
03:27We're all beginning to know each other.
03:29Yeah, yeah.
03:30And we get to meet people we knew before.
03:32Yeah.
03:33Oh, it's nice to see you again.
03:35Yeah, that's good.
03:36Well, thank you for chatting to us, Pauline and John.
03:39It's a pleasure.
03:40Happy birthday to you.
03:44Happy birthday to you.
03:48Happy birthday, dear friends.
03:53Happy birthday to you.
03:58Hooray!
03:59Hooray!