Useful resources

This page brings together a variety of resources used by Meeting Centres to support their members and family carers, plus other useful information and advice. While many were developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic when support was provided remotely, they may still be useful when support is provided face-to-face.

As well as being resources in their own right, they can provide inspiration for you to try with a group or suggestions for families and members to have a go at together.

Further resources will be added as we hear about them.

The following two short videos illustrate what Meeting Centres are, focusing on different audiences.

Key resources

To find out more about the free online Meeting Centre training course please visit the Association for Dementia Studies website.

  • Guidelines for setting up and running a successful Meeting Centre, plus associated appendices and evidence
Guidelines
Appendices
Evidence
  • The Essential Features of a Meeting Centre
Essential Features
  • A booklet for carers, by carers
Carer booklet
  • Information sheets
What is a Meeting Centre?
Why open a Meeting Centre?
What support is available to you?
  • Alive activities has adapted some of the information from the guidelines to create their own checklist to help when considering different potential Meeting Centre venues
Location checklist
  • The free tools on this website may also be useful for assessing whether a venue is dementia friendly – Link to website

Online session guidance

General activity kits and ideas

A collection of advice relating to activities is also available:

Activity top tips

Singing and music activities

Dancing activities

  • Everybody dance – YouTube video clips of gentle and seated dance sessions. Filmed outdoors in lovely surroundings.

Exercise activities

Quizzes, puzzles and similar activities

Practical ‘making’ activities

  • How to make a bird feeder – YouTube video clip, but a bird feeder can help to attract wildlife and provide engagement and stimulation.

Nature-based activities

Resources for carers

Response to COVID-19

  • The National Dementia Action Alliance ‘Stay Connected Campaign’ brings together examples of how NDAA members are responding to COVID-19 and supporting people affected by dementia.
  • The Association for Dementia Studies has produced a guide for community groups such as Meeting Centres on supporting people living with dementia and their families during COVID-19.

Reopening Meeting Centres

Making your venue dementia friendly

You may find some of these free assessment tools useful. On the same web page, in the ‘Related resources’ section there is also a link to a guide for dementia friendly village halls which may be useful. There are also links to booklets for making your home and garden dementia friendly, which your members and carers may be interested in.

Fundraising

One idea from us is to have small, contained goals. Rather than trying to raise a large amount in one go for ‘The Meeting Centre’, it can be easier to have multiple smaller targets for specific items. For example, £500 to buy a couple of tablets to support online work, £200 for some new crockery or activity equipment. Many people prefer to know where their money is going and how it’s helping, and who knows, if you make amounts relatively small you may find an individual or business who will give you the whole amount.

It could also give you more presence on social media/in the community with a launch, update, nearly there/last push, made it!! sequence. Don’t forget to make sure you share photos of the items in use too so people can be reassured that they’ve made a difference. Just be careful not to have too many things on the go or do a new request too soon after the previous one as it could put people off!

Newsletters

Some of the Meeting Centres have kindly shared examples of their own newsletters as inspiration for others looking to do similar – or for those looking for new content for their own existing newsletters maybe?

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