How the network was set up
The HSE’s National Dementia Office commissioned Engaging Dementia to develop an Irish Dementia Café Network in July 2019. The project was funded by Dormant Accounts through the Department of Health and the HSE NDO.
Throughout the project, Engaging Dementia has worked closely with 21 Alzheimer, dementia and memory cafes around Ireland and an Expert Advisory Panel to develop a shared vision of the dementia cafe and network in Ireland. The project draws on research which was carried out by the Centre for Economic and Social Research in Dementia (CESRD). Read the CESRD research here.
Our Advisory Panel brings together a mix of professional expertise and lived experience to guide the Dementia Café Network. With knowledge from healthcare, research, community development, and personal experience of dementia, the panel helps ensure that our cafés remain welcoming, supportive, and relevant for people living with dementia, their families, and communities across Ireland.
Advisory Panel Members
Amy Collins – Project Manager, HSE National Dementia Services
Amy brings over 17 years of experience in health service development, leading national audits and initiatives to improve dementia care quality and person-centred services.
Charlie Drake – North Cork Dementia Alliance Group
Charlie has been living with dementia since 2018 and actively participates in local dementia initiatives. He supports community engagement and shares his lived experience to help others navigate dementia.
Cassandra Dinius – Patient & Public Involvement Liaison Officer, Rare Disease Clinical Trial Network & Health Research Charities Ireland
Cassandra holds a PhD in cognitive ageing and has extensive experience supporting brain health and wellbeing in older adults and people with dementia.
Jackie Golden – Retired Enterprise Ireland Executive
Since her husband’s diagnosis, Jackie has become deeply engaged in dementia advocacy and community support, contributing her experience in project management and collaborative initiatives.
Matthew Gibb – Director, DSIDC
Matthew brings extensive experience in dementia support and community development through his work with DSIDC. He provides strategic guidance to help grow and sustain dementia cafés, ensuring they meet the needs of people living with dementia and their families.
Gemma O'Donnell – Dementia Adviser, Alzheimer Society of Ireland
Gemma has vast experience in nursing and occupational therapy, with a special interest in dementia care. Since 2021 she has been involved in several dementia cafés in South Tipperary and contributes to multiple café steering committees as part of her current, Dementia Adviser, role.
Heather Musgrave – Operations Manager for the South East, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland
Heather provides leadership and operational expertise, ensuring dementia services are effective and accessible across the South East region.
Maeve Montgomery – Dementia Adviser, Co Louth
Maeve brings extensive experience in dementia advisory work and has supported local communities in developing and sustaining dementia cafés.
How to join the network
The Irish Dementia Cafe Network is now processing dementia cafe applications. To apply, click here
About Engaging Dementia
Engaging Dementia’s mission is to facilitate communication, engagement and connection for people with dementia and their care partners. It does this through education, resources and community activities. Its training activities are focused on improving wellbeing for people with dementia through the use of music, sensory interventions, the outdoors, the creative arts, and evidence based therapeutic activities, especially the Sonas Programme. Its primary community activity relates to dementia cafes. Engaging Dementia pioneered the Alzheimer Café model in Ireland in 2011, and won the tender for the establishment of the Irish Dementia Cafe Network in August 2019. Click here to find out more.