Developing a Team to Provide the Café
- Talk with other groups who can provide mentorship
- Partner with an organization which can provide structure for Café
- Looking in a specific area to have alternate dates within an area so families can alternate between locations
- Encourage people to either donate time at the café or donate supplies
- Takes someone to coordinate the volunteers – done by the Dementia Friendly team
- Local library might have kits which could be turned into a program
- South Loop creates a six-month plan of themes and then coordinates the volunteers
Selecting a Location
- Find a location that provides a quiet space
- Find a location with good lighting and ability to turn down any background music
- Find a location that is supportive and understands what is being offered
- Using a space which is involved in Senior programming for the community
- Partnering with Fire District which has community space.
- If in a common space pick a time that is quieter
- If in a restaurant, provide training for the restaurant staff
Developing the Structure and Programming
- Should the program be virtual and/or in-person
- Have a resource table – order material from NIH/NIA
- Have speakers for each meeting
- Work on a craft which can be donated to someone else
- Some meet monthly, the Spanish café in Elgin meets quarterly,
- Often family comes with person, but some have volunteers to support someone with dementia who comes on their own
- Food is nice to offer but have to find someone to pay for it
- Have a list of people who typically attend – have library volunteer who will call people to remind them of upcoming café
- Have movement, music, art project and a quiz
- Had ice breakers to help people get to know each other
- Can last from an hour to an hour and a half
Marketing
- Have a Meet and Greet to talk about the program
- Create flyer and share with groups in the community
- Advertise on Dementia Friendly Community Facebook page
- Partner with groups who might have a distribution list
- Advertise on local radio
- Word of mouth
- Use the library
- Use Chamber of Commerce
Keep the Momentum
- Know there will be pitfalls and try to work through them
- There will be ups and downs in attendance
- Keep partners interested takes effort
Resources for Developing a Café
Wisconsin Memory Café Programs: A Best Practice Guide
Memory Cafe Percolator from the Massachusetts Jewish Family and Children Services