Family and Carer Support

The day care we provide for people with a dementia diagnosis gives the person who cares for them at home a break in the week

Knowing that their loved one is being looked after, stimulated and having a good time in the care of experienced and highly trained staff, gives them well-deserved relief and a chance to have some time for themselves.

Carers’ Support Group

The Welcome Club meets on a Tuesday: family and carers are welcome to come and have a chat with others in the same situation and meet professionals with experience in dementia care. A programme of events is also arranged which includes sessions with Citizens Advice, Admiral Nurses, local solicitors and a monthly light exercise session.

We usually meet at the day centre on a Tuesday from 1.30pm to 3.30pm but occasionally have outings so check in our events page before coming. We offer a light lunch on the last Tuesday of every month. You are very welcome to come along either on your own or with the person you are caring for.

Please contact Denise for more information: deputy@thehuntercentre.co.uk | 01428 654710, or click the button below to go through to our Carer Events page:

In their own words…

  • My husband has always been very active. I know that they keep everyone very busy during the day but the good thing is that if my husband doesn’t want to join in there’s never any pressure. So he is often allowed just to stay quietly and happily on the side-lines.

    They do bring in some lovely people who are supportive, so the atmosphere is always good here. And when I worry about him perhaps being difficult when he is here, they reassure me that he’s fine, so I am able to go and have a lovely day out without worrying.

    Mrs L - February 2023

  • Day centres that cater for the needs of people living with dementia are quite rare so we’re very lucky in Surrey to have The Hunter Centre in Haslemere.

    The Hunter Centre provides opportunities for people living with Dementia to socialize and enjoy both mental and physical activity. Activity and socialisation are fundamental for wellbeing not just for people living with dementia but for all of us. They give us feelings of identity, self-esteem and agency over our lives and may help slow down the progression of the disease in some people.

    The Hunter Centre also offers much needed respite to family carers of someone living with dementia – a break in the week when a spouse or child knows that their loved one is being looked after, stimulated and having a lovely time supported by experienced and highly trained staff.

    Penny Giles - Dementia Navigator, Alzheimer’s Society
    Sept 2021

  • It is good for both of us to be apart for a few hours. As his full-time carer, I can take a break and get on with some work while he is away. It is truly a life saver and enables me to continue to care for him. Thank you so much for all you do.

    Mrs S - 2019

  • The six-hour sessions at the centre are a good break for carers. I cannot praise too highly the care my wife received. Elaine and all the staff are excellent, very caring and nothing seemed to phase them. They provide a wide variety of activities for every stage of dementia and are only too happy to offer support and advice to the carers too. I fully recommend The Hunter Centre; it is a shining example of the sort of care that should be available and that is sadly lacking.

    Mr H - 2019

  • I brought my husband here to the Hunter Centre. Reluctant at first to attend, he enjoyed coming on a regular basis. It became his world.

    It was a secure place for him. It was a place where he could be involved in activities that were both stimulating and enjoyable. It also enabled him to live independently at home with me and it enabled me to be able to continue farming while he was at his ‘Club'.

    Mrs B

  • I’m delighted to support The Hunter Centre, who do so much valuable work for people living with Alzheimer’s or dementia and their families. We really couldn’t survive without them.

    Jeremy Hunt, local MP for South West Surrey