Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

New era for dementia support with Dundee launch of Meeting Centres Scotland

Meeting Centres have been developed across the country since the first was set up in Kirriemuir in 2019.

Kirrie Connections' new CEO Jacqui Dillon with Graham Galloway of Meeting Centres Scotland and (l to r) Nora Bruce, Dave Kettles and Pam Sherriffs at Kirrie. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson
Kirrie Connections' new CEO Jacqui Dillon with Graham Galloway of Meeting Centres Scotland and (l to r) Nora Bruce, Dave Kettles and Pam Sherriffs at Kirrie. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson

Community-driven dementia care is entering a new era after the Dundee launch of a new national support organisation.

Meetings Centres Scotland will carry forward progress made since the first example of a European-developed support model opened in Angus.

In 2019, Kirrie Connections pioneered the scheme which originated in Amsterdam.

Meeting centres offer social activities, therapeutic services and family support for people living with mild to moderate dementia.

The model focuses on the strengths of individuals.

It promotes independence and aims to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia and their carers.

Meeting Centres success celebrated

Meeting Centres Scotland interim CEO Graham Galloway moved into the new role after leading the work of Kirrie Connections.

He said: “The official launch of Meeting Centres Scotland is not just a celebration of how far we’ve come since the first centre opened in Kirriemuir but also a declaration of our commitment to expanding this invaluable model throughout Scotland.

“Meeting centres are more than just places.

Kirrie connections dementia hub
Kirrie Connections CEO Jacqui Dillon and Graham, Galloway of Meeting Centres Scotland. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson

“They are vibrant communities where individuals living with dementia and their families find understanding, support and joy.

“As we step into this new era, we remain dedicated to enhancing the lives of people living with dementia across Scotland.”

Since the Kirriemuir opening, the movement has seen remarkable growth.

Graham added: “Today, Scotland is home to 19 meeting centres.

“Each is dedicated to providing crucial support and creating a sense of belonging for people living with dementia and their families.”

Early diagnosis encouraged

Honorary President of Meeting Centres Scotland, Emeritus Professor Dawn Brooker hailed the launch as a “landmark event”.

“The number of people living with dementia has increased dramatically.

“And it is set to rise further still,” she said.

“It is now recommended that people get diagnosed as early as possible.

“This enables people and families to come to terms with their diagnosis and take advantage of any treatments that may become available.

“Currently, there is still no cure for dementia.

“Local Meeting Centres provide the support we know from research helps people cope much better long-term in living with dementia.”

Confidence and wellbeing

“Everything that meeting centres provide is geared up to increase confidence and a sense of wellbeing,” she said.

“The fact that Scotland has taken this on as part of their National Dementia Strategy is to be commended.

“Other countries will watch their progress with great interest and hopefully will follow suit.”

Minister for social care, mental wellbeing and sport, Maree Todd, said: “Having had the pleasure of attending many meeting centres across Scotland, I share in the enthusiasm for the launch of Meeting Centres Scotland.

“This is a landmark moment for the development of support for our dementia communities.

“I reiterate our commitment as a government to continuing to enable the growth of such supports, as we deliver on our ambitious new dementia strategy for Scotland.”