A Dementia Café as a Bridgehead for Community-Inclusive Care: Qualitative Analysis of Observations by On-the-Job Training Participants in a Dementia Café.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Dementia cafés are becoming widespread as a new approach to dementia care, but their operational procedures and significance have not been adequately studied.

METHODS: On-the-job training (OJT) for professionals planning to operate a dementia café in the future was conducted in a pioneering dementia café in Japan. The reports of OJT trainees' observations and learning were analyzed qualitatively.

RESULTS: Reports could be summarized in up to 9 themes: 2 related to the atmosphere and significance of the café, 3 related to the guests, such as people with dementia and their families, and 4 related to the café staff.

DISCUSSION: The results of the present study identified the elements that make up dementia cafés and their significance and suggest that dementia cafés could be a new type of community resource for dementia care in the future.