Dementia cafes: recommendations from interviews with informal carers

Purpose: Dementia cafes (also known as Alzheimer’s or memory cafes) have been running in the UK since 2000. The purpose of this paper is to report on the recommendations from recent research that interviewed family carers on their experiences of using the cafes. Design/methodology/approach: The research was carried out in cafes in and around London, and focussed on informal, unpaid carers’ experiences of using them. In total, 11 carers from five different dementia cafes were interviewed, using semi-structured questionnaires. The results were thematically analysed. Findings: The findings showed that carers had an overwhelming appreciation of the cafes and what they offered, but several of the findings led to the recommendations about the recruitment and training of cafe co-ordinators; how cafes present themselves and their services and how they can offer dedicated support to informal carers. Originality/value: These recommendations will be of use to cafe organisers and commissioners, especially considering the dearth of information currently available in this area.