Dementia Cafés as a Community Resource for Persons With Early-Stage Cognitive Disorders: A Nationwide Survey in Japan

Takechi, Hajime; Yabuki, Tomoyuki; Takahashi, Masahiko; Osada, Hisao; Katō, Susumu

doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2019.04.017

Cited by 22 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…There is evidence that group-based interventions lower loneliness and increase social support among older adults, although this predominantly describes effects of complex, multi-component programs rather than community-based programs like the Memory Café model ( 3 , 21 ). Further, studies to describe the impact of Memory Café on participants have predominantly focused on the experiences and perspectives of family care partners and coordinators ( 18 , 22 ). This exploratory qualitative study provides valuable insight into the experiences of individuals living with dementia and family care partners who regularly attend Memory Cafés, and explores how these gatherings affect perceptions of social connectedness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“We Don't Feel so Alone”: A Qualitative Study of Virtual Memory Cafés to Support Social Connectedness Among Individuals Living With Dementia and Care Partners During COVID-19

Masoud¹,

Meyer²,

Sweet

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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Introduction: Loneliness and low social support can be detrimental to the health of individuals living with Alzheimer's and related dementias (ADRD) and family care partners. Restrictions on gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 create an even greater risk for social isolation. Memory Cafés are a highly replicated program that provide individuals living with ADRD and care partners an opportunity to socialize in an inclusive and supportive environment without fear of judgment, pressure, or stigma. Following restrictions on in-person gatherings, virtual Memory Cafés offer regular social engagement opportunities in an online format. While the Memory Café model has been replicated globally, their effects on loneliness and perceived social support are generally unknown. Even less is known about their impact when operating in a virtual environment.Methods: Semi-structured interviews in Spanish and English were conducted with individuals living with dementia and family care partners who regularly attend Memory Cafés hosted by partners in a Texas Memory Café Network. Interviews took place online using video conferencing software, were transcribed, then analyzed for common themes using a combined inductive and deductive approach.Results: A total of 17 interviews were conducted with persons living with dementia (n = 5) and family care partners (n = 12) who attend Memory Cafés to learn about their perceived experiences of social connectedness since COVID-19. Care partners included spouses (n = 8) and adult children (n = 4). Interviews included attendees of different Memory Café models, including in-person only (n = 2), virtual only (n = 9), and those who attend both models (n = 6). Five key themes were identified: (1) Reprieve; (2) What is still possible; (3) Connectedness; (4) Inclusivity; and (5) Value added, with ten sub-themes supporting these main themes.Discussion: Findings substantiate evidence that Memory Cafés offer important benefits for families living with dementia, providing vital new insight into the potential for virtual Memory Cafés to offer similar benefits. Findings have implications beyond the context of COVID-19, where virtual models may support the social connectedness of those living in geographically marginalized and underserved areas. Virtual models may not address the needs of all families experiencing dementia due to lack of access to technology and limitations for virtual engagement with those experiencing later stage dementia.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“We Don't Feel so Alone”: A Qualitative Study of Virtual Memory Cafés to Support Social Connectedness Among Individuals Living With Dementia and Care Partners During COVID-19

Masoud¹,

Meyer²,

Sweet

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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“…Dementia cafés are community groups which provide post‐diagnostic support for patients affected by dementia and their families. Moreover, these cafés may bring benefits in resilience and subjective well‐being 13,14 . Thanks to their potential effectiveness, dementia cafés are becoming widespread as a new approach to dementia care, but the procedures of the meeting/training have not been adequately standardised.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since the first Alzheimer café was launched in the Netherlands, 13 where educational talks were followed by a social gathering, the idea has spread rapidly to other countries, becoming a regular feature of dementia care services. Dementia cafés often lack facility standards: 14 staff have not been provided with vocational training and often learn what is required for their work on their own 15 . Since the facility standards, training programs and staff abilities have not been clearly defined, research on the management and effectiveness of dementia cafés remains limited 16–18 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How patients with mild dementia living in a nursing home benefit from dementia cafés: a case‐control study focusing on psychological and behavioural symptoms and caregiver burden

et al. 2021

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Background Dementia is a syndrome, mainly due to neurodegeneration, affecting cognition, behaviour, feelings and relationships. Pharmacological treatment is still challenging and thus different ways to improve/slow down the disease are necessary. Methods Twenty‐five subjects with mild dementia, living in a nursing home, and their relatives were invited to attend a dementia cafe, a community group which provides support for families affected by dementia. Each patient was evaluated by a neuropsychologist, through the administration of a specific neuropsychological battery, before and at the end of the study. Their outcomes were compared to a matched group of patients with dementia receiving psycho‐counselling. Results After the dementia cafe meetings, patients showed higher significant changes in mood (P < 0.01), behavioural symptoms (P < 0.001), quality of life (P < 0.001), and caregiver burden (P < 0.001). The control group significantly improved only in quality of life with a reduction of caregiver burden. Conclusions Our findings confirm that patients with dementia may benefit from the dementia cafe, especially concerning behavioural symptoms. Moreover, caregivers find these cafés to be welcoming, relaxed places to socialise and access support and information. Future dementia cafés should create programs and comfortable environments answering to the different needs of the patients.

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“…Dementia cafés are focused on dementia, but the needs of the guests who gather there, that is, people with dementia, their families, and people in the community who are concerned or interested in dementia, are diverse [9]. To be considered a well-appraised location, it is thought that a dementia café staff should have various abilities.…”

Section: Development Of the Dcsamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dementia café staff have not been provided with vocational training and often learn what is required for their work on their own. Since the facility standards and staff abilities have not been clearly defined, research on the management styles and effectiveness of dementia cafés remains limited [6,[8][9][10][11]. However, these need to be established to advance the development of dementia cafés as a useful community resource.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dementia Cafés as Hubs to Promote Community-Integrated Care for Dementia through Enhancement of the Competence of Citizen Volunteer Staff Using a New Assessment Tool

Takechi

Yamamoto²,

Matsunagaa

et al. 2019

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord

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Introduction: Dementia cafés have recently been attracting attention. The increased involvement of citizen volunteers and the competence of dementia café staff could enhance the potential of dementia cafés. The aim of the present study was to examine enhancement of the competence of citizen volunteers using a new assessment tool. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 433 dementia café staff members, including medical and care professionals and citizen volunteers. A 20-item dementia café staff self-assessment (DCSA) instrument was newly developed. After confirmation of the reliability and validity of the instrument, DCSA scores among citizen volunteers were evaluated. Results: DCSA showed very good psychometric properties. The mean (±SD) DCSA score was significantly higher for café staff with a medical and care professional background (n = 267) than for citizen volunteers (n = 166) (2.2±0.5 vs. 1.7±0.7, respectively; p < 0.001). The DCSA scores of citizen volunteers became significantly higher with increasing attendance (minimum: n = 24; 1.3±0.7; intermediate: n = 65; 1.6±0.6; and frequent: n = 77; 1.8±0.7; p < 0.01). Conclusion: Assessment of the competence of dementia café staff using the DCSA revealed the potential of citizen volunteers. This tool could also enhance the potential of dementia cafés.

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Dementia Cafés as a Community Resource for Persons With Early-Stage Cognitive Disorders: A Nationwide Survey in Japan

Cited by 22 publications

References 21 publications

“We Don't Feel so Alone”: A Qualitative Study of Virtual Memory Cafés to Support Social Connectedness Among Individuals Living With Dementia and Care Partners During COVID-19

“We Don't Feel so Alone”: A Qualitative Study of Virtual Memory Cafés to Support Social Connectedness Among Individuals Living With Dementia and Care Partners During COVID-19

How patients with mild dementia living in a nursing home benefit from dementia cafés: a case‐control study focusing on psychological and behavioural symptoms and caregiver burden

Dementia Cafés as Hubs to Promote Community-Integrated Care for Dementia through Enhancement of the Competence of Citizen Volunteer Staff Using a New Assessment Tool

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