Whitehorse’s Umbrella Dementia Cafes to expand to Box Hill and Burwood
People with dementia and their families can often feel lonely and isolated, but a new initiative is providing a safe and social place for them to meet. The cafes have proved so successful, there are plans to open even more.
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People with dementia and their families are getting much-needed support from a new Whitehorse-based charity, which is doubling in size.
Umbrella Dementia Cafes already operates at Blackburn Community Church and Blackburn North’s Koonung Cottage Community House, bringing together people with dementia and their families for coffee or a meal.
It will open two more venues thanks to a $75,000 State Government cash boost from the Pick My Project initiative.
Umbrella Dementia Cafes chief executive Kirsty Porter said the money had “propelled us into the next stage of the business”.
She said the program was perfect for Whitehorse as the area had more residents aged 60 or over compared to the Melbourne-wide average.
“I could see we could do better and do things better from the point of diagnosis or earlier,” Ms Porter said.
“There are so many families isolated, lost and confused, and if we can create familiar environments inside their own community, people can find the services they need.
“If we can people connect at that early stage (of dementia), we have better resilience and a better understanding of what that person needs.”
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Ms Porter, who is from Blackburn, said the cafes had also benefited from food donations and visits from schoolchildren.
“I know this community well and how connected they can be, and if it wasn’t for that connection we wouldn’t have gone as far as we have,” she said.
Koonung Cottage Community House manager Carolyn Shaw said the cafe was a valuable niche program for her centre and the community.
“It’s lovely to see couples coming in each month being able to have that social experience and get that support and education as well,” she said.
The organisation will open their newest cafe at Box Hill South Community House on August 14, followed by another cafe at Burwood’s Bennettswood Neighbourhood House later this year.
Details: umbrelladementiacafes.com.au
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