Watertown Memory Café to Open

October 16th, 2013

Walk-ins are welcome for the free Memory Café gatherings which will take place at Connection Café in Watertown. Memory Cafés are an informal social gathering where those with dementia and those who support them can gather to enjoy the camaraderie of others with dementia. Gatherings will occur on the third Wednesday of every month at Connections Café.

“Memory loss makes people uncomfortable,” said La Bey, founder of Alzheimer’s Speaks, a business creating new approaches to dementia care. “So often, friends and family disappear when someone is diagnosed with dementia.”

Isolation and lack of social stimulation are common problems for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease or other memory disorders and for their caregivers. People with memory loss may feel embarrassed or inhibited from socializing, afraid they will say or do the wrong thing. Caregivers may feel cut off from the world. Both parties often suffer from a lack of creative outlets and social contact.

To fulfill these needs for social enrichment, Heritage Homes, with collaboration with Alzheimer’s Speaks, is launching the “Memory Café.”

Memory Cafés are free, informal, social settings that bring together those with dementia (Alzheimer’s), and their friends and families. A Café is a place where you can openly talk with like-situated people, without the stigma of the dementia label. It provides a regular gathering place where participants can exchange ideas and thoughts, experience art and music, enjoy refreshments, and share laughter.

The Memory Café, based on a model first employed in Europe, is gaining popularity in Canada and the United States.Heritage Homes, an assisted living facility with a dedicated memory care unit, is working to start one here in Watertown. Jan Zimmerman, Administrator of Heritage Homes says, “Too often, those with dementia and their loved ones become isolated. They stop going into the community because they are afraid of saying the wrong thing or doing something “odd” because they have become confused in an unfamiliar environment. We want that to change. We want to enable those with dementia to remain independent as long as possible and a contributing member of their community.”

The café will be free and open to people concerned about their memory or who are in the early stages of dementia. It is scheduled to start at the Connection Café located at 1308 West Main Street in Watertown on October 16^th from 10 am to 12 noon.

About Heritage Homes

Heritage Homes offers independent living and assisted living. There is a dedicated unit for those with dementia and other related memory loss diagnoses.  Located at 700 Welsh Road in Watertown, Heritage Homes is owned and operated by The Lutheran Home Association. For more information, please visit www.myheritagehomes.org or www.tlha.org.

About Alzheimer’s Speaks

Alzheimer’s Speaks is US based advocacy group that provides education and support for those dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Their vision is to shift caregiving from crisis to comfort by removing the fear and providing economical services, tools, concepts and products to those in need.  Alzheimer’s Speaks believes collaborative and alternative approaches push society forward in search for answers and so they provide a variety of platforms and forums to educate and shift our dementia care culture for professionals, family caregivers and the public at large.  By working together and sharing knowledge, Alzheimer’s Speaks feels we can win the battle against this disease. For more information please visit www.AlzheimersSpeaks.com.