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They also show an increase in appetite as their moods become better. 'Meeting fellow seniors and interacting with others boosts their feelings of well-being and decreases sadness. It is also well established that social connectedness, joining a club or a community group reduces the risk of Dementia. Keeping active, eating well and engaging in social activities all promote good brain health and may reduce the risk of developing Dementia. 'It was because of him and my late father, who also had Parkinson’s, that I set up 4-get-me-not as a social enterprise to raise awareness about dementia and to provide a common platform for old people,' she adds.Īccording to Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) there are currently over 50 million people worldwide living with Dementia, a new case arising every three seconds. Her understanding about the debilitating effects of dementia grew when her father-in-law was diagnosed with both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s a few years ago.

'Before the pandemic we used to have one interactive activity per week, but Covid posed a lot of challenges and we relied on online talks and programs, and are now slowly stepping out in small groups,' shares the enthusiastic founder.Ī resident of Dubai for over two decades, Desiree was painfully aware of the daily struggles brought on by old age that her parents and in-laws were facing in her home country. Today, its members also include senior citizens above 60 in the UAE. Add to that the stress of increased isolation during Covid.įounded in 2013 by Desiree, who is originally from the Philippines, the organisation offers a social platform for Alzheimer’s patients, their families and caregivers. Retired and mostly at home, often still grieving the loss of their life partners, while struggling with health worries – life for an elderly person can be quite overwhelming.

Getting older, let’s face it, can be lonely. Since December 2020, Desiree Vlekken, the founder of 4-get-me-not, has brought in several such small groups of seniors to the cat café. With over 300 members in the UAE, 70 of them in Dubai alone, 4-get-me-not offers opportunities for seniors to remain active and to reach out to others. Members of 4-get-me-not, a local support group for Alzheimer’s patients and senior residents in the UAE, they are all at the cat café today for one of their interactive outings conducted with social distancing measures during Covid. Watching this tender scene unfold Geraldine’s friends and fellow seniors – Valerian Mendonca and Elsie D’Mello join in the cat party on the couch. Soon, a few other furry paws, with raised tails crowd around the duo.

I have been really looking forward to this visit,' shares the Dubai resident, who is single and works part time as a teacher. Together they cut a pretty picture, utterly content in each other’s company as Geraldine’s wrinkled, pudgy fingers gently caress the cat’s smooth belly.

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Within seconds the kitty’s soft paws make a swift move as she clambers into the warm lap of the 60 plus senior, seated comfortably on a floor cushion at Ailuromania Cat Cafe in Jumeirah, Dubai. A pair of green feline eyes stare curiously at the deeply lined beaming face of Geraldine Cox.

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