Prime Minister's invitation to Buckinghamshire care home remains open!

A letter from David Cameron has given the cook at the Woodlands Park care centre in Great Missenden hope that she may still get to cook for the Prime Minister in the future, with a promise that he ‘will definitely try to visit should an opportunity arise’.

Gina Doherty, who is the cook at Woodlands Park, was named as the one millionth ‘Dementia Friend’ in an event in February, which she attended with manager, Marie Shouler, at which they met and spoke to Mr Cameron.  Following his comment that care homes are not known for their cuisine, Gina wrote to 10 Downing Street with an open invitation for him to come and sample their delicious food for himself.

A hand-signed letter has arrived today (Wednesday 11 March 2015) from Mr Cameron explaining that he in unable to commit at this time, but hopes to visit should an opportunity arise in the future.

“I’d imagine he will be rather tied up planning for the general election in May, so it is quite understandable that he can’t make it at the moment, but it is lovely that he has said that he’ll try to visit in the future,” says Gina.  “I won’t offer to keep something warm for him, as we cook everything fresh each day here, but if his election campaign trail brings him back to our neck of the woods, I’ll be happy to whip something up for him!”

Altzheimer’s research – a subject very close to those working at Woodlands Park – is already high on the political agenda, with a recent government announcement of more than £300 million to be devoted to research on dementia over the next five years.

“Everyone who works with people living with dementia will welcome this money, as it is a terribly debilitating condition which now affects around 850,000 in this country alone, but equally important is in educating people about how to spot signs of dementia at an early stage, and also how to interact with those living with the condition,” adds Marie.  “Many of our staff and relatives of residents are now signed up as ‘Dementia Friends’ and it is wonderful that Gina is officially the one millionth Dementia Friend.  We hope that this will inspire others to follow suit to make life easier for people with dementia.”

Indeed, Marie has been spearheading her own campaign within Great Missenden to make the village more dementia friendly, inviting independent retailers to Woodlands Park to learn about simple steps they can take to make their businesses more dementia friendly.  Marie was recently shortlisted for a national award in recognition of her services to dementia care.

Woodlands Park is an elegant care home located on Aylesbury Road on the outskirts of Great Missenden, overlooking the Chiltern Hills.  The dementia specialist care home accommodates up to 29 residents in a stunning manor house, which retains many of its original elaborate features, to create a relaxed and stimulating environment that motivates residents to live a full and happy life.

Woodlands Park is part of the Forest Healthcare group of homes, which includes 13 individual homes throughout the South East of England.  For more information on Woodlands Park, please visit www.foresthc.com or call 01494 862535.  Visits are welcome at any time and no appointment is necessary.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The letter from the Prime Minster reads:

Dear Gina,

Thank you for your recent letter, inviting me to visit Forest Healthcare and join you for lunch.  I hope you enjoyed the Dementia Friends event – I was very pleased to mark the 1 millionth Dementia Friend being signed up by hearing the stories of so many people involved in the scheme.

I am grateful to you for your kind invitation.  I hope you will understand that I am unable to commit at this time, but I will definitely try to visit should an opportunity arise.

Thank you, once again, for getting in touch.

Yours,

David

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