Through informal interview methods it was clear that Vera was felt less isolated when she attended the Memory Café. Vera’s daughter noted that since Vera’s husband of over 60 years had passed away last year, her Dementia had noticeably deteriorated. Vera told me they had met when she was 17 and he was 16 and married at 19 she mentioned that “she did not like being alone, especially in the dark and cold weather.” Vera was also arthritic, and had enjoyed sewing and knitting, but no longer had the dexterity to use a needle. I was able to assess through ethnographic observation that the session worked positively; Vera and her daughter worked as a team, which encouraged engagement and enjoyment. Her daughter could sew, and Vera could use fabric glue to stick down fabric and pompoms. Through co-design techniques Vera created a puppet that she could use with her great-grandson. Therefore, social connections where able to continue after the session had ended, as she was able to use her puppet as an artefact which enabled her to engage with her great-grandson. Following the workshop Vera stated that she was thankful for being involved and was ‘very pleased’ with her hand puppet.
