Meeting Centres
What are Meeting Centres and how can they help people living with dementia, unpaid carers and families to enjoy access to community-based support?
Meeting Centres
What are Meeting Centres?
Meeting Centres offer a hyperlocal resource where people affected by dementia, unpaid carers and families can access friendly, community-based support, designed around their individual needs. Normally run out of local buildings, Meeting Centres provide a social space where people with dementia and their loved ones can meet others and take part in activities they enjoy, based on what members are interested in.
The current Meeting Centre model was developed in the Netherlands 25 years ago and is now becoming more popular across the world. Research has shown that the flexible and person-centered nature of Meeting Centres can help people affected with dementia adjust to the changes that often follow diagnosis, and contribute to positive outcomes for people with dementia and their families.
Every Meeting Centre is different as they are embedded in the community they work with and are driven by the needs and interests of their members, and local communities. However, within those differences, there are essential features that Meeting Centres adhere to. The University of Worcester offer a range of resources to help those interested in learning more about Meeting Centres, including their guide: 11 Essential Features of a Meeting Centre.
The Scottish Meeting Centres Network
About Dementia are working in partnership with the Scottish Government to deliver £1 million funding to support Dementia Friendly Communities and Meeting Centres across Scotland between 2022 and 2023. The Meeting Centres strand of funding has been set up to facilitate the development of a national network of Meeting Centres across Scotland. The aims of this network are to:
- Encourage the meaningful involvement of people living with dementia and family members
- Organise in person meetings of the network, in order to share learning and best practice
- Develop a community of learning and practice to build capacity of Meeting Centre managers and prospective managers
- Disseminate evaluation evidence and learning through international knowledge exchange.
Meeting Centres Seedcorn Fund
Five organisations across Scotland were awarded £10,000 each to develop Meeting Centres for people affected by dementia, in early 2023. Funds have been allocated through the Meeting Centres Seedcorn Fund, part of the partnership between the Scottish Government, Age Scotland and About Dementia.
The Meeting Centres network is built on a culture of sharing, learning, collaboration and support, with regular online meetings and quarterly in person meet-ups. Unpaid carers and people living with dementia are actively encouraged to get involved with the network.
Find a Meeting Centre
There are nine Meeting Centres currently open in Scotland:
Kirrie Connections, Kirriemuir
Call: 01575 520140
Website: www.kirrieconnections.com/meeting-centre
Email: graham@kirrieconnections.com
Lochside Connections, Forfar
Website: https://lochsideconnections.co.uk/
Contact: https://lochsideconnections.co.uk/contact-us
Montrose Connections, Montrose
Call: 07799 376943
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MontroseConnections/
Dementia Friendly Prestwick, Prestwick
Call: 0808 808 3000
Email: hello@dementiaprestwick.co.uk
Website: https://www.dementiaprestwick.co.uk/
Dementia Friendly Dunblane, Dunblane
Call: 07733 262599
Email: dfdcoord@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dementiafriendlydunblane
Dementia Friendly St Andrews, St Andrews
Email: mpe2@st-andrews.ac.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dementiafriendlystandrews/
Kennoway Community Shed, Kennoway
Email: bobmcphail@blueyonder.co.uk
Website: http://kennowayshed.org.uk/about/
Kinghorn Group, West Lothian
Email: tom.mccabe@blueyonder.co.uk
The Failte Centre, Stornoway
Call: 07884268192 or 01851 810789
Meeting centres have been funded and will be opening soon in Arbroath, Kirkcaldy, Rosyth and Musselburgh, so keep an eye out for more details coming soon.
More Information
Interested in learning more about Meeting Centres or discussing the possibility of setting up your own Meeting Centre in your area? Contact Graham Galloway at graham@kirrieconnections.com or email the About Dementia team at aboutdementia@agescotland.org.uk.
Dementia resources
Find out more about Age Scotland's work and services to support people affected by dementia.