“Navigator Cafe”
Here at 4 Hotham Road, Sorrento
Welcome to all our Families
Our cafés are all managed, operated and staffed by Umbrella Dementia Cafés with crucial support from local volunteer teams.
Every Café is fully supported by a team of strong volunteers with an understanding about dementia (personal or professional). Together we work under one supportive umbrella facilitating greater social connections between people living with dementia, their family and their community.
Through our dementia cafés model, we empower people living with dementia to regain autonomy, boost their self-esteem and improve their wellbeing. Members enjoy new connections through shared experience, activities or values, and enrich existing connections in an environment that encourages genuine conversation.
Check out the current scheduled program - 2025 “Navigator Cafe” program
To support our ever-growing number of families seeking support, we are always looking for more volunteers at our meetings. Here’s a little write-up for those interested in the volunteer role.
“Navigator” Volunteer Job Description
Volunteer Training
Good morning to our wonderful volunteers at Navigator and Friendship Cafes!
First and foremost, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your continued dedication and hard work. Your energy and commitment are the heart of our cafes, and we truly couldn't do what we do without you.
Jess Conley
Annual Volunteer Refresher
As part of our ongoing volunteer participation process, we are hosting an annual Volunteer Refresher Training afternoon. This training is strongly encouraged by UDC as a valuable opportunity for us to provide education, share new resources, and offer upskilling for our entire team. It's a key way we ensure our cafes remain the positive, successful, and welcoming spaces we are all so proud of.
This year, we have booked The Hangar in Sorrento on Thursday 6th November from 2.30pm-4pm. I will be conducting an “Induction and Initial Training" session for our new volunteers from 11.30am, and if anyone would like to attend the full 4 hours to build on your empathy and dementia knowledge, you are most welcome, please let me know.
The training will be a fantastic chance to reconnect with fellow volunteers, share experiences, and learn about exciting new updates. We'll be covering Falls Prevention and Management in our cafes and have plenty of time for discussion and questions.
To help us with planning and catering for the afternoon, could you please RSVP by Thursday 23rd October and whether you would like to attend from 11.30am-4pm or 2.30pm-4pm.
Volunteer Induction
As part of our ongoing volunteer participation process, we are inviting you to an Induction and Initial Training Day. This training is strongly encouraged by UDC as a valuable opportunity for us to provide education, share new resources, and offer upskilling for our entire team. It's a key way we ensure our cafes remain the positive, successful, and welcoming spaces we are all so proud of.
This year, we have booked The Hangar in Sorrento on Thursday 6th November from 11.30pm-4pm. I will be conducting an “Induction and Initial Training" session for our new volunteers from 11.30am, and our trained volunteers will join us from 2.30pm for a 90minute “refresher” training, with a focus on Falls Prevention and Management.
The training will be a fantastic chance to reconnect with fellow volunteers, share experiences, and learn about exciting new updates. We'll be covering basic information on the types of dementia, changed behaviours, communication, active listening and empathy.
To help us with planning and catering for the afternoon, could you please RSVP by Thursday 23rd October. I will provide you with some interesting pre-training videos to watch and a few resources we like you to have prior to attending the training.
“Special Men in Our Lives”
Monday, 1st of September, at our Navigator Café, we celebrated the “Special Men” in our lives.
We heard special stories from earlier days and viewed personal items, amazing house and garden plans, family photos, special trophies and a few family nicknames.
Still time for a chat and a few activities to challenge us all.
Next time: “Footy Fever”, time to show off your team colours.
August 18th 2025
We are back in the Hangar.
e are enjoying the extra room to spread out and enjoy the new friends joining the party.
As usual plenty of pleasant banter throughout the time at the Hangar.
Monday August 4th,
A very special day for us.
It is our first meeting at our new “home”.
Magnificent sunshine for the very happy crew at the Hangar, with 8 families in attendance.
We felt very welcome and an immediate feeling that this was “home”.
There was plenty to chat about and to enjoy the morning together.
What happens at a Cafe?
9:00: The Facilitator and Volunteers will set up the meeting place
10:00 - 10:15: It's welcome to the Families
(Some serious hugging occurs)
10:15 or so: Time for a cup of tea/coffee to hear any program and personal updates
10:30: The Care Giver will go into the Hangar "office" for discussion around their roles as carer and issues they may have.
10:30: With the Care Giver is away, the volunteers lead activities for those men and women living with dementia. A variety of entertaining but gently challenging activities will be tried.
11:30: It's back together for the very popular music and dance time. Beware, everyone is "singing" and/or "dancing".
12:00: It's time to close (and more hugging!!).
Warm farewells to the families, while volunteers reset the Hangar for the next PNMSA activity.