Fusion Cafe
Aims of the service:
To provide a supportive environment for people with dementia and their carers to attend a social occasion together, where the effects of their dementia are understood and accepted.
- To involve visitors in the development of the café.
- Encourage people to establish their own peer support network.
- Provide information and signposting to other useful services where needed.
- Provide support where required from mental health professionals.
- Reduce social isolation.
- Improve communication and relationships between with dementia, carers and professionals.
Description of what was done:
Fusion Dementia Café was established in February 2006. It was developed as a partnership venture between local agencies involved in dementia care to provide an accessible social outlet for people with dementia and their carer to attend together without a referral or appointment. The Café is open on the last Friday of every month and is held in a training room suite, adjacent to a care home. Facilities include a separate entrance, an enclosed garden, an internet and information area, a kitchen and large space for entertaining. People attending receive refreshments, cakes and a raffle ticket for a free draw and are entertained each session by a wide variety of acts such as singers, dancers, musicians, story tellers. Audience participation is encouraged.
The outcome of a recent audit highlighted that people heard about the café from a wide variety of sources e.g. word of mouth, leaflets, councillors newsletter, health and social care professionals, community resources, carers centre, information programmes and secondary mental health service. Each session is planned at a meeting the week before the session and includes service user and carer representation.
Two specific roles have been developed for those volunteering:
Role of the Greeter
Two greeters welcome visitors to the cafe. There is no charge but donations are welcome. Staff and visitors are requested to wear adhesive name badges; to ensure people are called by their preferred name and with consent details are documented on a record of attendance. The Greeters give each visitor a free draw ticket for the fresh flowers on the table, offered at the end of the session.
Role of the Befriender
A Befriender is allocated to each table to welcome people, put them at their ease, particularly on a first visit and will encourage conversation and socialising between visitors, signpost to information and support as required and provide refreshments as needed.
What are the resource implications of this example? How has it been funded?
The lead agency, Clevearc, a local Alzheimer's charity, provides administrative support and venue free of charge and the refreshments and entertainment is met through donations and fund raising events which has sustained it for the past three years. Each session is staffed by volunteers, including professionals from the statutory and voluntary sector, carers, and students.
What have been the challenges and solutions in setting up and maintaining the innovative practice?
The planning, organisation and staffing of the café each month requires quite an investment in time without dedicated staff. A project lead from Stockton Integrated Mental Health Service co-ordinates the planning and organisation of sessions to maintain continuity.
Without mainstream funding, there is a continual need to raise funds to sustain the café. Staff and visitors to the café help by contributing to fund raising events and providing raffle prizes and resources for sale such as hand made cards.
Outcomes :
Evidence of involvement of visitors in the development of the café according to their needs and feedback from recent audit (Feb/Mar 09 - 19 respondents) and also representation in café planning group.
- 100% of respondents felt café had supportive environment.
- 89% had established their own peer support network.
- 63% were aware of information, table, access to internet, availability of mental health professionals.
- 37% indicated they did not access any other community resource than the café.
- 79% of respondents always felt able to approach staff and 16% most of the time.
The audit highlighted that although the majority of visitors were satisfied with the way the café sessions are organised, a small number of comments needed addressing to increase peoples awareness of the resources that were already in place i.e. befrienders who would ensure that people were served with refreshments when requested, the availability of a wide range of information, instantly accessible via the internet, an information table and support from mental health professionals. Flyers advertising the next three months entertainment are available each month at café sessions, in the newsletter and sent out on a mailing list to enable people to make choices about the sessions they attend.
Plans for the future:
A request was made to advertise the café sessions in the local paper, run the café twice a month and consider the location as it can be crowded. The café planning group are appreciative of the free venue/resources offered by Clevearc for café sessions and the extra costs incurred by changing venue, paying advertising costs and running sessions more frequently would jeopardise sustainability, particularly as the café is self funded through donations and fund raising and relies on staff volunteering to help out with café sessions. As the majority of comments were positive from the recent audit, the café will maintain its current format and continue to involve café visitors in feedback on service delivery and future development.
