How we can help

Meeting individual needs

When an individual is enjoying themselves at one of our sessions, their loved ones know they are in a safe place, are well looked after and are having fun. This 'day respite' offers carers and families vital time for other important matters or simply to recharge, and may even make the difference to a family faced with the prospect of their loved one going into a residential care setting, or continuing to live at home. 

We hold group sessions in Banchory, Aboyne and Kirkton of Skene, as well as delivering one-to-one home visits throughout Aberdeen City and Shire. 

First steps

When an individual is referred to Forget Me Not Club, one of our trained staff will visit the person at home to carry out an assessment. This first visit is an important part of our process and allows for an relaxed discussion of that person's needs and expectations, in a familiar setting.  

If it is decided that Forget Me Not Club support is suitable, the person will usually be offered a place at one of our group sessions. In cases where the individual is reluctant to join a group right away, Forget Me Not Club staff might arrange to carry out a series of home visits in order to build that person's confidence in, and familiarity with, staff.

Home visits

Not everyone enjoys a group setting, and we all have different interests and hobbies. Because we will always aim to build a plan of support in line with individual choices, we may deliver our support purely through these one-to-one home visits, with the individual choosing never to attend a group session. There may also come a time when our group sessions are no longer suitable for the client, so where the individual is still living at home we will usually revert to home visits, allowing a continuity of support and maintaining that important relationship. Please note that we do not deliver our support sessions to individuals in a residential care setting. 

These home visits will usually take place on a Thursday, which gives an important element of routine for the individual being supported as well as their families, carers and loved ones.

Group sessions - Bennett House

For those who enjoy socialising in a group setting, attending one of our sessions allows the opportunity to get out of the house for the day, engage with others with similar needs and to benefit from all the activities and equipment Forget Me Not Club can offer.

Arriving at 10am, people are welcomed with a cup of tea while everyone settles in. Each day has a schedule of activities and often visitors, with everyone up and on their feet on average of every twenty minutes. We have music, art, animals, dancing, storytellers, sports, gardening, yoga, cookery, even axe-throwing,....... and more!

At lunch time everyone enjoys a delicious home-cooked meal prepared by our own cook, special diets are provided for, and everyone gets a cake on their birthday! Everyone eats together, staff included, as our sessions are designed to be relaxed and homely.

Bennett House is deliberately designed to be a comforting and reassuring place, specially adapted for its purpose and completely secure, with its own garden and outdoor furniture, and even a large dancefloor and cinema screen!

After lunch, there are more activities and games, then the day ends around 3pm. For those who don't have access to their own transport, Forget Me Not Club staff can collect and accompany people home if they live locally.

Group sessions - Aboyne or Kirkton of Skene

In order to cater for those who aren't able to reach Banchory, Forget Me Not Club offers weekly 'pop-up' sessions in Aboyne and Kirkton of Skene. 

These weekly sessions offer all the same activities, entertainers, lunches, staff and fun as our Bennett House sessions, just with slightly different start and finish times.

We hope to be able to expand our reach and deliver sessions into more areas in the future as the demand for our service grows.