What is a Memory Cafe?

Memory Cafes provide an accepting and accessible environment that welcomes people living with dementia at any stage and caring family members, friends and professional caregivers to socialize and participate in meaningful and joyful programming.

Who comes to Cafes?

• Cafes are designed to engage people living with dementia – alone or with care partners (family, friends, or professional caregivers). 
• Cafes are designed to be inclusive of people at any stage of symptoms – with or without official diagnosis. Some cafes are specialized, focusing for example on those with young-onset or those with Lewy Body Dementia.
• As testimony to the depth of friendships built in cafes, care partners sometimes continue to attend after their person with dementia relocates to memory care or dies. 

How are Memory Cafes structured?

• Cafes meet in-person or virtually, usually once or twice a month. 
• Cafes commonly last one to two hours.
• Cafes are held in a wide array of accessible community spaces like libraries, botanic gardens, coffee shops, community centers, and faith-based organizations.
• Cafes are commonly run by a paid coordinator and supported by volunteers, and often include a paid or volunteer program facilitator, such as musicians or other teaching artists. 

What happens in Memory Cafes?

• Cafes create a welcoming environment that often serve light refreshments like coffee, tea, and snacks.
• Cafes are responsive – when programming is offered, cafés seek participant input and leadership, and design programming to meet the culturally specific needs and interests of attendees.
• When offered, programming is interactive, focused on meaning-making and social connection, and designed to build on strengths of attendees. 
• Common activities include: engagement in music, movement, visual arts, or storytelling; volunteerism, and exploration of topics of interest.  

What happens because of Memory Cafes?

Research tells us that…

• Attendees build social connections and friendships.
• Attendees experience joy, meaning, purpose, and belonging.
• Attendees experience an easing of symptoms associated with isolation and stigma.
• Attendees can learn about opportunities, services, and ways to navigate living with dementia by sharing experiences with others.
• These same positive benefits can also affect the Cafe staff and volunteers. 
• Cafes demonstrate the possibility of living well with dementia to attendees, facilitators, and the public at large.  

How are Cafes Different from Other Dementia Support Offerings? 

• Cafes are not designed to offer drop-off respite care – but rather to support both the person with dementia and the care partners. 
• Cafes are not a profit-generating program. Some Cafes might request sliding scale contributions to offset basic costs. 
• Cafes are not a disease-specific lecture or marketing opportunity for aging services. They are primarily designed to foster meaningful social engagement.

Values

• Be friendly: Promote friendship and social connections.
• Be responsive: Seek input and build activities on the unique culture and interests of attendees.
• Be curious: Encourage and invite learning and cultural engagement.
• Be creative: Provide access to and engagement with the arts.
• Be respectful: Provide a stigma-free, hospitable environment. 
• Be advocates: Demonstrate that people can live well with dementia with community understanding and support.
• Be inclusive: Include people with all types of dementia at any stage of symptoms, and of all cultural backgrounds in the design, marketing and offering of cafe activities