World Cafés

Sharing knowledge to connect, collaborate and co-create Dementia-inclusive Spaces

Thanks to generous funding from the Alzheimer Society of B.C., Mitacs, and Michael Smith Health Research BC, two World Café events were hosted in year three (2024) of the project. These community engagement events brought together researchers, trainees, advocacy organization members and municipal partners in Metro Vancouver to showcase project findings though video screenings and photo exhibits at two public discussion sessions called World Cafés.   World Cafés are a way to encourage discussion, collaborative learning, generate new ideas, and are also a research method.

Knowledge mobilization, awareness-raising, and education were central to the four goals of the community engagement events.

• Goal 1: Provide attendees an overview of why the neighbourhood built environment is important for people living with dementia, based on research and lived experience.
• Goal 2: Raise awareness about the needs of people living with dementia in the community and provide guidance to municipalities and organizations in adopting the findings of this research. 
• Goal 3: Showcase the photo exhibit highlighting specific built environmental features identified by DemSCAPE participants during walking interviews as supporting or challenging out-of-home mobility and participation. 
• Goal 4: Screen the short knowledge mobilization and advocacy video and have a discussion based on the participants’ viewing experiences and personal reflections to refine a publicly available video discussion guide as a complimentary resource.

Municipal partnership with the Civic Innovation Lab and the City of Richmond enabled municipal planners, city staff working with older adults, community organization representatives, people living with dementia, care partners, advocates, and researchers to connect and discuss knowledge mobilization tools and resources from the DemSCAPE project and collaborators.  The Civic Innovation Lab combines the expertise and resources of Simon Fraser University and the City of Burnaby to find fresh solutions to challenges and issues affecting cities.  The City of Richmond has many Age-Friendly policies and practices in place and is a proud partner in dementia-inclusive research.  Co-hosting a World Café with each partner municipality fostered more targeted discussions for each city’s unique challenges and priorities.

Key takeaways from the World Cafés included process-based, relationship-building, and perspective-expanding opportunities for growth for participants and organizers.  Mixed group discussions were a relatively easy way to connect municipal staff and planners with people with lived experience and other community members to add value and meaning to the experience.  Many attendees commented in-person to organizers and in post-event survey responses about their appreciation to hear first-hand from people with lived experience.  Different stakeholders brought varied perspectives and lenses to the discussions and helped initiate connections between local service providers, researchers, health authority representatives, and organizations specific to each municipality.  The events were also networking opportunities for project team members, trainees, and graduate student volunteers interested in careers in the areas of dementia, dementia-research, urban planning and design, and health services.  Municipalities have a desire for continuing education and training on dementia-inclusive best practices to enhance understanding of the features of a dementia-inclusive environment and advocate for positive changes.