St Clare Dementia Support Service
Our St Clare Dementia Support Service is a free, personalised, one-to-one service that supports the wellbeing of people living with advanced dementia in their own home in West Essex and East Hertfordshire.
Sessions are led by our specially-trained Dementia Support volunteers, who provide sensory stimulation and meaningful activities in a person’s own home, with their family member or carer present.
Activities follow the principles of the internationally-recognised Namaste Care approach and may include –
- Giving a gentle hand or foot massage
- Playing the person’s favourite music or reading their favourite book or poem
- Activities that help them to reminisce about their life
The sessions take place weekly for up to two hours, with a course of up to 10 sessions offered.
Our Dementia Support Service is available to anyone living in the St Clare catchment area of West Essex and the borders of East Hertfordshire. To make a referral, click the button below.
Training for unpaid carers and care home staff
We also offer Introduction to Namaste Care workshops for paid care staff and unpaid family carers to learn some of the techniques we use. View our upcoming workshop dates below.
Introduction to Namaste Care
Tier 1: Foundation level
Date: Tuesday 19th May 2026
Location: St Clare Hospice
Tier 1 training for paid care staff and unpaid family carers providing practical skills, compassionate approaches and essential knowledge to improve the lives of people with advanced dementia.
Introduction to Namaste Care
Tier 1: Foundation level
Date: Tuesday 18th August 2026
Location: Online
Tier 1 training for paid care staff and unpaid family carers providing practical skills, compassionate approaches and essential knowledge to improve the lives of people with advanced dementia.
Introduction to Namaste Care
Tier 1: Foundation level
Date: Tuesday 18th November 2026
Location: St Clare Hospice
Tier 1 training for paid care staff and unpaid family carers providing practical skills, compassionate approaches and essential knowledge to improve the lives of people with advanced dementia.
Want more information about our Namaste Care workshops? Please get in touch with our team by emailing dementia@stclarehospice.org.uk or call 01279 594471.
Dementia activity & gardening club
Our weekly Dementia Activity and Gardening Club offers people with dementia the chance to connect socially with others and the natural world by enjoying the physical, social and therapeutic benefits of activities such as light gardening, sensory crafts and games.
Led by our trained volunteers, sessions are held both indoors and outdoors (weather permitting) in our Community Space and adjoining sensory garden every Thursday between 10am and 12pm and 1.30pm and 3.30pm. The group is run alongside our Dementia Carers’ Café so attendees can engage in meaningful activities while their carers take time apart knowing that their loved one is taking part in a safe and supervised session.
Spaces for our Dementia-friendly Gardening Club are limited, so booking is essential. Please call our team on 01279 594471 to book.
Our Dementia-friendly Gardening Club is kindly supported by the National Garden Scheme, Loughton Town Council and Harlow ‘Find Your Active’.
Dementia Carers’ Café
Caring for someone with dementia is something you shouldn’t have to manage alone. Connecting with others who are also carers, and supporting one another, can be really helpful.
Our Dementia Carers’ Café takes place in the Hospice dining room every Thursday from 10am to 12pm, and 1.30pm to 3.3pm. Come along and meet with others who understand, share your experiences and relax over a cup of tea or coffee.
It is free to attend and you don’t need to book.
“We come with worries and tension on occasions, but the group is non-judgemental and we swap experiences and laugh a lot. This is so therapeutic.” – Peter
Seek support from St Clare Dementia Support Service
Online referral form
If you need support filling in this online referral form, please get in touch with us via:
- Email – dementia@stclarehospice.org.uk
- Telephone – Call us on 01279 594471
Volunteer with the St Clare Dementia Support Service
We are recruiting extra volunteers to help us provide our Dementia Support Service. Check out our Volunteer Vacancies page for full details and information on how to apply.
Our Dementia Support Service is kindly supported by The McLay Dementia Trust and The February Foundation.
Alzheimer’s Society ‘Working to Become Dementia Friendly’ Accreditation
In January 2024, St Clare Hospice were recognised by the Alzheimer’s Society and awarded ‘Working to Become Dementia Friendly’ accreditation, as a result of our commitment to improving the experience of people living with dementia, their families and carers.