Building bonds over coffee

It’s cappuccinos, mochas and long blacks every Tuesday for residents living with dementia at HammondCare Erina as autistic students learn valuable barista skills to prepare them for life beyond school.

Staff and visiting families of residents also get their coffee of choice when the Aspect Senior College coffee van arrives with students ready to take orders and master the Italian-made espresso machine as part of their work education program. 

A marquee is pitched on the front lawn of the dementia care village along with tables and chairs, creating a buzzy, open-air café experience.

The students can serve up to 50 coffees, made from locally sourced Looloos Coffee Beans, in the one-hour visit.

At the same time, students also learn how to interact with people living with dementia.

HammondCare Erina residential manager Julie Blogg said the weekly school term coffee visits had become a major event for village community and there was a growing bond between the residents and students.

“The residents really look forward to it and they all have their orders,” she said.

“They really miss it during the school holidays.”

The students take making coffee very seriously.

They each do a barista skills course through Glee Coffee Roasters before joining the van crew under the guidance of several teachers on site.

Aspect Senior College, a part of Aspect Central Coast School, prepares students in Years 7 to 12 for life beyond school by focusing on employment readiness, independent living and further education.

Principal Mark Rudd said the collaboration with HammondCare was a chance for students to “build confidence, practise real world skills and form genuine relationships” as they move towards completing school.

Rudd said the visits were part of how Aspect Senior College sought to bridge the “critical gap” in post-school opportunities for autistic students to ensure they had every chance to succeed. 

There is in an unemployment rate of autistic individuals of more than 18%.

Only 5.2% of autistic people hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 35.3% of people without a disability.

For Year 10 Aspect Senior College student Arie, who describes herself as a “hot choccy person”, said the visits make her think of her nan.

“I think I enjoy it so much because my nan, my dad’s mum, has dementia,” she said.

“Nan has just lost her licence, and I know she’s sad that she can’t drive anymore.”

Resident Raymond Parker, proudly wearing his South Sydney Rabbitohs cap, was enjoying a mocha served up by Arie.

He even squeezed in a second one.

“I do like it when they come,” he said.

Another enjoying her free coffee was resident Dawn Morris, who normally gets a long black.

“I thought I would try that mixed up one, I think it’s called a cappuccino,” she said.

“It feels natural when the students come – it’s not an engineered type of thing.”

Kayne, an Aspect Year 12 student, said becoming a barista was a great skill to have.

“It means I can work up to one day being part time in a café,” he said.

“You have to be really patient when serving people with dementia.”

Kayne is a huge fan of the ABC reality series Love on the Spectrum and one of its stars, Michael Theo, who has visited the college.

The coffee van visit is part of a growing partnership between HammondCare Erina and Aspect Central Coast School.

Each Christmas, the school stages a festive concert at the dementia care village to bring joy to the residents and give students an opportunity to showcase their talents.