Are you a caregiver of a person living with dementia looking for a community group that you and your loved one can be a part of? The Meeting Centre Support Programme (MCSP), where persons living with dementia and caregivers meet with other families living with dementia once a week in a community setting, may be for you.
What is the Meeting Centre Support Programme?
The Meeting Centre Support Programme (MCSP) is a programme model which aims to support persons living with dementia and their family caregivers in adjusting to the changes that dementia brings. Meeting Centres are started by Dementia Singapore in partnership with community-based service providers such as Active Ageing Centres (AACs), Community Outreach Teams (CREST), faith-based organisations, and grassroots organisations. At Meeting Centres, both persons living with dementia and their family members meet at a community-based location in small groups to take part in two hours of interactive activities together once a week. Meeting Centres are designed to be social clubs where persons living with dementia and caregivers gather to socialise, form new friendships with fellow members, and support one another.
Though activities differ from centre to centre, here are some activities that persons living with dementia and their family members can look forward to:
- Fun, facilitated group conversations with fellow members (e.g. discussing recent events in the news, reminiscing past experiences)
- Simple physical exercises
- Games
- Craft activities
Some Meeting Centres hold monthly caregiver support sessions for caregivers attending the Meeting Centre. During these sessions, caregivers participate in guided discussions about dementia and caregiving. Caregivers can also hear from each other about their experiences and mutually provide and receive peer support.
Aims and Benefits of the MCSP
Through the programme, persons living with dementia and their caregivers can better adjust to the changes they are experiencing with the onset of dementia:
- Changing physical and cognitive abilities
- Relationships with healthcare professionals
- Emotional changes
- Self-image
- Future plans
- Social life and ability to support others
- Journey of seeking help for themselves
Persons living with dementia have experienced the following benefits:
- A positive effect on behaviour
- Delay of admission to residential care
- Positive effect on mood, self-esteem, and sense of belonging
Caregivers attending the programme have also:
- Felt better able to care for their loved ones
- Had been, on average, able to manage caring for their loved ones at home for longer periods
- Felt less burdened, while more supported by professional organisations
- Experienced better mental health and less distress
“Everyone is going through their own journey, and you could find something that would suit you or your loved one. [Being at the Meeting Centre] is also a chance for the caregiver to get a bit of respite, be it chatting with someone else, or sometimes taking time out whilst your loved one is getting some attention from the staff or someone else.” – Caregiver
“MCSP allows me to observe and interact with other persons living with dementia and caregivers. It creates a kampung spirit for the participants in the programme. Furthermore, my self-confidence has improved through the programme, and my loved ones are cared for.” – Caregiver
“I have learnt how to interact with persons living with dementia [and] I am happy to volunteer in the programme.” – Meeting Centre volunteer
What Meeting Centres are there?
Operating Hours:
Tuesdays & Thursday, 10am-12pm/2pm-4pm
Focus:
Newspaper & Cognitive Stimulation Activities, art and reminiscence, table-top games, mahjong, outings, monthly caregivers sharing session.
How to sign up:
Email Peggy Wong from Salem Welfare Services at [email protected]
Operating Hours:
Saturdays, 9:30am-11:30am
Focus:
Newspaper & Cognitive Stimulation Activities, art and reminiscence, table-top games, mahjong, outings, monthly caregivers sharing session.
How to sign up:
Contact Thye Hua Kwan AAC at 6554-7298 or [email protected]
Operating Hours:
Fridays, 9:30am-11:30am
Focus:
Newspaper & Cognitive Stimulation Activities, art and reminiscence, table-top games, mahjong, outings, monthly caregivers sharing session.
How to sign up:
Email Peggy Wong from Salem Welfare Services at [email protected]
Operating Hours:
Mondays & Fridays, 2:30pm-4:40pm
Focus:
Newspaper & Cognitive Stimulation Activities, art and reminiscence, table-top games, mahjong, outings, monthly caregivers sharing session.
How to sign up:
Contact Lions Befrienders Active Ageing Centre @ Clementi 366 at 6681-4025 or [email protected]
Operating Hours:
Mondays, 2:30pm-4:30pm
Focus:
Art & Craft, Table-top games, reminiscence, exercise, outings
How to sign up:
Contact Allkin Active Ageing Centre @Sengkang 182 at 6385-0260 or email [email protected]
Operating Hours:
Wednesdays, 9:30am-11:30am
Focus:
Newspaper & Cognitive Stimulation Activities, art and reminiscence, music and movement, table-top games
How to sign up:
Email Peggy Wong from Salem Welfare Services at [email protected]
Tell us how we can improve?
Teo, J. (2023, July 10). Meeting Centres an oasis for seniors with mild to moderate dementia, and their caregivers. The Straits Times. Retrieved March 1, 2024, from https://www.moh.gov.sg/healthcare-schemes-subsidies/subsidies-for-residential-long-term-care-services