One of our key services is our registered Day Care Service for older people with dementia or cognitive impairment which offers recreational, educational, cultural and social activities. For over 40 years we have been one of only a few specialist dementia services in the Edinburgh area with staff and volunteers trained and qualified to a level that enables us to provide a high level of service.

The Eric Liddell Community Day Care Service is dedicated to empowering clients to make informed choices and to engage with person-centred activities which meet their outcomes. We offer access to physical activity, sensory experience, a therapeutic garden, art, reminiscence work, music therapy and outings to places of interest.

The Day Care Service operates Monday to Friday. Transport for clients is available using South Edinburgh Amenities Group (SEAG). SEAG is a community transport operator which provides safe, accessible, door-to-door transport for clients. On arrival at the Community Hub, clients receive a light breakfast which includes fresh fruit. A hot, nutritious two course meal prepared on site by our chef is also provided as well as teas, coffees and refreshments.

What Day Care offers

Activities

Our range of meaningful, person-centred activities include discussion groups, open reading groups, knitting and sewing, seated and standing exercise, Tai Chi, dance, board games, baking, garden activities, manicure, hand massage and many more.

Community Outreach

Our dedicated staff also meet with people living with dementia in the community to visit a place of their choice and provide digital support on Zoom.

Multi-Sensory Room

The Eric Liddell Community Day Care Service is unique in offering people living with dementia access to a stimulating and intriguing environment that can heighten awareness and encourage participants to relax and engage with their surroundings in a safe, failure-free and non-clinical setting. Our Multi-Sensory Room optimises the effects of various stimulus and can have calming effects for people living with dementia.

Digital Support

All clients have the opportunity to learn how to use new technology and to grow more confident when using an IT device. We use an interactive ViewBoard for our person-centred activities and can provide one-to-one support for clients who wish to increase their knowledge of IT.

Whatever the stage of dementia, music therapists work sensitively and closely with the clients to help ease anxiety and disorientation, unlock memories, reduce isolation and help people regain their sense of identity. This helps create a profound feeling of being ‘connected’ – something so valuable to people living with dementia, and their family and friends (Nordoff-Robbins, 2022).

Particularly for clients living with dementia, the use of familiar songs and music has been widely researched and applied, due to the unique power that music has to evoke memories: people, places and life events can all come to the forefront of a person’s mind, strengthening a person’s sense of self – who they are and what they have done throughout their life.

Providing Music Therapy sessions allows The Eric Liddell Community to support these individuals, allowing for self-expression, growth of self-confidence and independence and supports our collective ethos of providing ways to keep the mind, body and soul active for all individuals in our community.

Playlist for life

We have been working with Playlist for Life as a Playlist for Life Help Point for several years. At The Eric Liddell Community we support people living with dementia to access free information, resources and to create personalised playlists.

“My mum really enjoys this every week, and she is always smiling when I see her after your sessions.”