RICC Dementia Cafe Tranquility Room and Sensory Gardens

Description

Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre (RICC) was established in 1989. The Centre’s aim is to develop and provide a quality resource centre to serve the needs of the Community. We have an integrated approach providing supports from crèche facilities to active retirement groups as well as a wide range of services and activities for the community. The centre’s opening hours are Monday to Friday 8am-10pm and week-ends as required for events and as requested by the Community.
RICC is a registered company limited by guarantee and is a Not for Profit community organisation with charitable status registered with the Charities Regulator and the Revenue Commissioners.

The principal Aims & Objectives of the Board and Management of the RICC are the continuous development of a quality resource centre in the community, providing ‘cradle to the grave’ social and community based services to benefit the people of Ringsend, Irishtown and the local surrounding areas. The Centre has approximately 100,000+ usages per year.
The purpose of the Centre is to support the development of key local services catering for local people affected by poverty and disadvantage. Provide services and supports to groups and members of the Community. Identify community needs and gaps in services. Contribute to meeting needs through community development in a non-judgmental way. Develop partnerships with appropriate organisations

As part of our ongoing work to improve the facilities and services at the community centre, we are currently developing a Dementia Cafe, tranquillity room and sensory garden space to provide quality recreational programmes for older people in the community and also for people living with dementia;

Ringsend & Irishtown Community Centre endeavours to ensure that everyone in the Community is encouraged to use our facilities regardless of age, religion, colour, disability or social background. In Ringsend & Irishtown there is a growing need for community services and with support from other organisations we can create an environment that establishes us as prominent community providers. We are continuously listening to the needs of our community and will continue to expand on our facilities and services in an effort to meet those needs.

As part of the ongoing development and promotion of joint community initiatives in the Ringsend & Irishtown Area, RICC management engage regularly with key managers of local organisations and stakeholders. The purpose of these meetings is to identify ways in which the Community Centre can facilitate, foster and promote Community Activities and support groups in the area to achieve their full effectiveness and potential.
The project to improve the level of community services being provided by RICC by upgrading existing facilities within the Centre and through investment in new technology and other facilities will encourage disadvantaged and marginalised groups to use our community centre as we propose introducing vital new services to local people and their families who are coping with dementia, for preschool children, for young people, for older people, for unemployed people and for people most distant from the labour market.
Retro Café – tranquillity room, Sensory Garden & Development of a ‘Dementia’ Café: The Retro Café currently operates on site daily from 10am to 2pm. Our aim is for this facility to be a valuable space for community inclusion and engagement as a social outlet to people with dementia and older people in general. We are looking to develop a partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society by way of providing information for people living with dementia and their families, and any relevant training available to raise awareness on the subject within the Community. Linking in with Vinnie McCabe and Michael Harnett to host the Cloud Spotter Play is key to the Launch of this initiative along with other key stakeholders.

The Board and Management of the RICC are aware that there are either very limited or no social activity services in the Ringsend, Irishtown and surrounding areas to support people with dementia and their families. The nearest dementia service similar to our proposed project is in the Booterstown area. The plan will be to open the café once a week for the specific provision of a regular safe dementia friendly space. This would be a natural continuation of the Centre’s integrated approach to providing a range of ‘cradle to the grave’ social and community based services. In conjunction with the dementia café and sensory gardens, the RICC plans to develop an activities programme when the dementia café is up and running. The programme will be developed with input from regular service users availing of the facility.

Aim of Initiative

The Retro ‘Dementia’ Café and sensory gardens – The proposed Dementia Café and sensory gardens would aim to provide a much needed social outlet, not only for local residents with dementia, but also providing a social outlet for their relatives/ carers while facilitating access to information and support. It is the view of the Board and Management of the Centre that this service would be a continuation of the Centre’s integrated approach in providing a broad range of supports from crèche facilities to youth projects, facilities for children with special needs, and from men’s shed to active retirement groups to now engage with, and provide supports to our local residents with dementia. Our objective would be to benefit the proposed service users by tackling the isolation faced by older people, particularly people with dementia. At the RICC we are already aware of how vital social activities are for the older people in our community through the Centre’s very popular Movie Club, Afternoon Tea, Dances and Bingo, outreach and food delivery provision. We view the project of opening a Dementia Café and provision of the sensory space in our community centre as a natural progression to enhance the vital services the RICC currently provides to residents in the local communities.

The Board and management would expect outcomes to benefit the proposed service users by tackling the isolation faced by older people, particularly people with dementia. At the RICC we are already aware of how vital social activities are for the older people in our community through the Centre’s very popular Cinema Club and Bingo. These social activities were very much missed by our older local residents during the COVID lockdowns

Who is it aimed at

The RICC Dementia Café and Sensory Gardens would incorporate activities into the service specific to the needs of people living with dementia and the various stages of dementia. To provide support for their families and carers. The activities programm would be developed in consultation with the services users and/ or their chosen representatives.

The sensory gardens are open to the Community at large.

3 Steps critical to success

1. To identify a space to develop the gardens and tranquility room. To engage with all relevant stakeholders with the skills to build a cohesive space for this much needed amenity. To gain support from the Community. To secure seed funding to commence the project. To raise awareness and support for the project. To secure volunteers to help with the activities.
2. To build positive relationships with key stakeholders like Active Retirement groups and develop a partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association. To secure volunteers to assist with the activities. To have supports and information available
3. To continue to raise awareness around people living with dementia, supports available for them and their families. To have information available. To provide a safe welcoming space for the service users

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Identifying a relevant space to develop the project
   Identifying the seed funding to commence the project
2. While people are very happy to volunteer, it is very important to continue to grow the volunteer base
   Securing funding to grow the project
3. RICC will continue to provide a safe space and provide supports for the service providers and their families which is also subject to continuing funding, supports and volunteers

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. The spaces are used on a regular basis by the service users and their families. To providing a safe comfortable space for people and their families which they can benefit from the recreation activities while gaining support within their own community setting.
2. The initiative has been very well received by the members of the community living with dementia and their families and careers. This is a newly developed initiative and RICC look forward to developing this into the future.
3. RICC have provided a space for people living with dementia and provide support for their families in a safe secure setting. There is no available amenity or supports in the immediate area of Ringsend & Irishtown. This is a very positive project for the Community and has great potential to grow over the coming months.