MSH Foundation’s Intergenerational Dementia Café: Fostering Inclusion and Collaboration for Under-Represented Groups

“To most of those people, the services they have often fail to reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the communities themselves.”

Nusaibah Hasan, a researcher on the EMPOWER Network interviewed Manju Shahul-Hameed, one of our community partners who heads the MSH Foundation. Read on to find out more about Manju’s work.

Activities the organisation does that represents best practice in inclusive dementia care

The intergenerational dementia café offers creative and artistic sessions that cater to both younger and older generations. Music and dance provide a welcoming, interactive environment, with activities such as Bollywood and belly dancing, sing‑alongs, sound healing and meditation sessions, recently introduced and highly requested by participants.

A wide range of physical and wellness activities are also popular, from light chair‑based exercises designed for those with mobility issues to yoga sessions and beauty treatments such as manicures, makeup and haircuts provided by beauty students. These activities create mutual benefits and spark shared experiences.

The cafés also host bingo sessions led by London Fire Brigade volunteers, alongside health talks and Q&A sessions with clinical experts on topics including blood pressure, diabetes, diet, heart and brain health and physiotherapy. Educational and social activities, such as planned reading sessions with primary school children and sharing food from different ethnic cultures, further reflect the diversity and inclusivity at the heart of the cafés.

They help teach digital skills to older participants, helping them use WhatsApp, social media and email for communication and awareness. Through intergenerational knowledge sharing, it bridges the digital divide and fosters inclusion.

Why are these activities important for good practice and inclusive dementia care for the local community?

Manju highlights that many services fail to reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the communities they serve. The cafés directly address this gap by incorporating culturally relevant activities such as music, food and dancing sessions. They also work through trusted networks, including local faith leaders, schools, housing associations and community champions, to build genuine connections. In doing so, the cafés serve ethnically diverse communities, particularly Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.

The cafes are set to break down stigma. Despite initial concerns about using the term “dementia café,” they found that people were more focused on the services than the label itself. The success demonstrates that explicit naming can help normalise conversations about dementia. Quality services also overcome stigma concerns and community-based approaches help reduce barriers to engagement.

The cafés operate on a co-production model where activities are designed based on participant surveys and feedback. Regular attendees suggest new sessions and improvements and family members and carers are involved in planning. This approach enables people to “stay at home and in the community” rather than requiring institutional care.

All sessions are completely free of charge, unlike other services that may cost £2–5, removing any financial barriers preventing participation. Accessibility is also ensured by adapting activities for different mobility levels and abilities.

What impact does your work have on people living with dementia and amplifying lived expert voices?

Participants have become “a bit more vocal and confident”. They actively suggest new sessions and activities, with regular attendees describing the experience “like a family”.

Participants also report “enjoying life more” as they receive “a bit of exercise and food from different ethnic cultures”, even those with mobility issues “get up and go to the front” to participate in dancing.

Older participants view young volunteers as “their children, their grandchildren”, the cafés provide “something they always look forward to” and they specifically request return visits from popular volunteers, like the Fire Brigade for bingo.

The intergenerational aspect benefits young volunteers as well. Young people with various lived experiences, including involvement in crime and antisocial behaviour, show “transformation”. Initially shy volunteers become confident contributors who “love to contribute to the community and love to talk to the elders”. Students also gain practical experience applying their health and social care learning.

“The service supports not just people with dementia but their carers, family members and all the people that have lived experience.”

What key factors have made your work and organisation successful?

The partnership and the collaboration along with the intergenerational aspect made the dementia café special. Key Partnerships Include:

- Age UK Croydon and London Fire Brigade (Coulsdon Methodist Church)

- John Ruskin College (providing health, social care, art, and beauty students)

- Croydon Council (youth services and looked-after children)

- Croydon Health Services and NHS Trust (hospital café)

- Chaplaincy services at Croydon University Hospital

The cafés stand out for their intergenerational approach, unique among local dementia services, and their innovative delivery across multiple venues such as community halls, hospitals and faith spaces. Programming is flexible, shaped by participant feedback and cultural competency to serve diverse communities.

Support comes from diversified funding through The National Lottery Community Fund, The Phoenix Way and Maudsley Charity, alongside strategic partnerships that provide in‑kind contributions, all driven by a strong sense of community ownership.

Deep community connections and trust, with the understanding of both professional and grassroots perspectives, emphasises the cafés’ commitment to addressing gaps left by mainstream services.

Any national expansion projects the organisation is planning to do on inclusive best practices in dementia care and future goals?

Manju’s work is currently focused on Croydon, with a fourth café already in place at the Coulsdon Temple. Yet the ambition for expansion is evident with the charity having already established a National Commission for Mental Health that operates UK‑wide, with experience of engaging young people at the House of Lords and House of Commons, demonstrating its capacity for national impact.

The café model itself is replicable, with proven demand and a partnership approach that could be adopted in other regions. Supported by the National Commission, there is a strong framework for broader reach and future growth.

Future goals:

To continue building strong community relationships with diverse populations and enhance cultural competency.

To secure better funding to expand the intergenerational dementia café to other locations nationally.

Manju views the partnership with EMPOWER as a platform to scale successful approaches, develop evidence‑based practice, influence policy and practice at a national level. Providing a source of continued learning and innovation.