A care home has opened a dementia café.

Each month Woodland Grove care home on Rectory Lane, Loughton runs the café to give people and their families a chance to meet and relax together, share experiences and get advice and information from the home’s dementia specialists.

There are an estimated 20,000 people with dementia in Essex and more than 850,000 people nationwide.

Jane Hare, manager of the unit, said: “Dementia can cause memory problems but also changes in behaviour and personality so it can affect people’s confidence and mean they don’t go out as much as they used to.

“We are very much part of our local community here and we wanted to open our doors and offer a comfortable environment where people can relax, share their experiences and feel they are not alone.

“Staff are on hand so we can answer any questions people may have, to take away worries or anxieties, but above all we want everyone to come and enjoy themselves.”

The café is free and is open to anyone who has dementia, including the home’s residents and their families.

It will meet on Tuesday, August 28.