Abstract
Background
Dementia Meeting Centres began in Amsterdam and have grown in both popularity and evidence since then, now reaching Italy, Poland and the UK. They are:
- For people with mild to moderate dementia and their families living at home
- Inclusive and friendly focus on BOTH the person with dementia and family care partner
- Help both adapt and adjust well to living with dementia underpinned by the Adjusting to Change model
- A Social Club (1 to 3 days per week 10am - 3pm) regular and on-going
- Eating together and co-ordination and movement play a key role
- Very local, accessible, no us and them, ordinary life setting
- Activity is determined by the needs and aspirations of the members. All contribute in some way. A genuinely person-centred & strength-based approach
- Staffed by Centre Manager, Support Workers and Volunteers
- Developed and coproduced by people with dementia from the start
In Scotland, dementia Meeting Centres are now recognised in Scotland’s national dementia strategy as an ‘upstream’ contribution to the dementia support and care landscape. Meeting Centres Scotland is the network body established early in 2024 to support the growth and sustainability of Meeting Centres in Scotland. Our vision is to have a Meeting Centre in every town in Scotland.
Audience
Target audience is people who are searching for an early intervention approach to dementia support; one that is ‘upstream’ and will support people to remain independent in their homes and communities for longer
Content of workshop/special interest group
Meeting Centres Scotland will share how it is growing Meeting Centres in Scotland with a focus on:
- People living with dementia and their care partners as co-designers and as one third governance in each locality, with care partners and local professionals being the remaining two thirds
- Involving local partners from the health and care system whilst remaining true to the Social Club principles of co-production of Meeting Centres
- Implementing a key outcome of Scotland’s dementia strategy
- Involving local partners who have no experience of dementia but who have spaces and local credibility that make them attractive as Meeting Centre venues e.g Football clubs
- Using the international evidence base to leverage local and national support
- Supporting existing Meeting Centres to become sustainable community resources
- Creating a community of learning and practice throughout Scotland.
We will then stimulate a conversation about how the Meeting Centre model might contribute to improved health and well being outcomes for people living with dementia in participants’ regions and contribute to an ‘upstream’ intervention in their dementia care pathway.