Following her husband’s dementia diagnosis in 2015, Angi McCluskey saw an opportunity to create community connections.
Angi launched the first Forget-Me-Not memory cafe in 2017 for people living with dementia, their family and carers. Forget-Me-Not cafes encourage people with dementia and their carers to enjoy a social atmosphere with others who are travelling down the same road – without fear of embarrassment or judgement.
Forget-Me-Not cafes have grown from just a couple of attendees at the first location to now welcoming up to 30 people each month in 30 locations across Western Australia. The cafe meet-ups are organised by a team of volunteers with the support of local governments and venue owners.
Since 2018, Angi has served as carer representative on the Fremantle and Fiona Stanley Hospitals Consumer Advisory Councils and on the Alzheimer’s WA Consumer Advisory Committee. In 2019, Angi received the WA Senior of the Year: Metropolitan Award.