We have three cafés in the Aberdeen area. The cafés offer a safe and welcoming environment to those people in our local communities. We provide much needed support, not only to people living with dementia but also to their carers upon whom the responsibility of care lies - this can take its toll on their health too. We offer information and signposting to organisations that may be able to provide a service or help in other practical ways. Carers have the opportunity to spend time with others travelling on a similar journey, without being judged. We offer a variety of activities at the cafés with a strong emphasis on music. We secure the services of local musical entertainers and encourage people to sing and dance. We concentrate on what people can do rather than what they are no longer able to do. We regularly start our sessions with chair-based exercises and people do what they are physically able to do – and with lots of laughter. We want to create a caring and fun atmosphere. We do some reminiscing about a variety of topics. Many of our café friends enjoy the challenge, others need a bit of support. We spend time just speaking to our café friends and listening to their stories. It is important that we create a warm and welcoming atmosphere which generates a feeling of belonging, so important for this demographic who sometimes feel they are forgotten in society.
