Whilst scrolling through my news feed this week, I came across a great story about a Companionship Cafe in Halifax. I have not heard of this type of café before, I am aware of Death Cafes where people go to discuss death and dying, not the happiest of subjects but still something that our culture is reluctant to discuss, but that’s for another article. A Companionship Café sounds a little more joyous.
The café was run by a local home care company as part of Dementia Action Week, and obviously operated within current Covid guidelines. Many of the attendees had very little social interaction over the last twelve months due to the lockdowns and other restrictions, so this was a great opportunity to meet people and socialise in a safe environment. It wasn’t all just coffee and cake, there was also an arts and crafts workshop to participate in. Feedback from everyone that attended was very positive and the organisers, Home Instead Calderdale, will be organising more of these Companionship Cafes in the area.
As we know, loneliness continues to be an issue, particularly amongst the elderly and this would be a great way of helping to combat that. The costs associated with this would not be particularly great, it could be staffed by volunteers and a venue could be virtually anything. Coffee and tea could be sourced from local companies at a discounted price or even be donated for free in return for some positive press. At The Bold Age we are always keen to explore more ways of supporting the Boldie Community and would love to hear your views on Companionship Cafes. Are they a good idea, would you attend one if it was in your local area, would you consider hosting one? We would love to hear from you, let us have your thoughts at alive@theboldage.com