UK Meeting Centres Support Programme Blog

Meeting Centres UK

Following on from the MEETINGDEM project, the Association for Dementia Studies, University of Worcester was awarded a National Lottery grant from the Big Lottery Fund. The aim is to help establish new Meeting Centres across the UK to work with their communities to support people and families affected by dementia.

With this funding we have a unique opportunity to share learning across early adopters of the Meeting Centre model in the UK from different regions and jurisdictions as well as from organisations of different types such as housing associations, faith groups and day centres who could be well placed to build Meeting Centres from their existing provision.

A Meeting Centre is a local resource, operating out of ordinary community buildings, that offers on-going warm and friendly expert support to people with mild to moderate dementia and their families. At the heart of the Meeting Centre is a social club where people meet to have fun, talk to others and get help that focusses on what they need. Meeting Centres are based on sound research evidence on what helps people to cope well in adjusting to living with the symptoms and changes that dementia brings.