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Memory Café creates environment to help seniors invigorate their memories

 

By Linda Baier

On a recent Thursday afternoon, Greg Olson read  aloud a poem that he had written titled “My Life as Portrait.” 

His audience is the Memory Café group that meets at the Mower County Senior Center. He, his wife Nadeen, and a small group of other people have gathered together mainly for conversation — a lot of reminiscing that is in a lot of ways a portrait of their lives. 

Memory Café was started in the Netherlands in 1997 as a way to break through the stigma associated with various forms of dementia. It is now global and was started in Mower County in June of 2022. The goal of the group is to provide socialization — create a sense of love and warmth, a safe place to be, connectivity, and simplicity for people experiencing memory loss and their caregivers. 

Oftentimes, people with memory impairment and their caregivers’ worlds start to close in, and it becomes harder for them to visit with friends, go to restaurants, and shop, among other things. Memory Café allows them to be among people who are being challenged in a similar manner.

The Mower County group traditionally begins their meeting with Olson, reading original poetry. They then move into discussing topics that volunteers Jenelle Cummings, Jim Burroughs and Milly Burroughs have chosen and prepared for. One of this meeting’s subjects was Easter traditions. 

One group member remembers it being a day when a nice family picture could be taken, because they were all dressed up. Another person had the group laughing as he told of sisters always receiving new dresses and him and his brother only getting new shoe polish. One woman fondly remembered that she found her Easter basket in the oven one year, and still others talked about Easter egg hunts, Easter egg rolls and hot cross buns. 

Greg shared that “the camaraderie, laughter, and everybody always being in a good mood” as some of the reasons why he enjoys coming to Memory Café. 

“Greg enjoys it so much,” Nadeen said. “He feels welcomed, and enjoys the fact that everybody likes his poetry, and it’s a place that is safe.”    

People with memory impairments often forget what they say and perhaps even tell the same story more than once. Names of family members and close friends are often lost in their mind. A conversation that takes place one day, may not be remembered tomorrow. Words that once rolled off their tongues with ease, are now silenced. 

“It’s just a safe place to be,” Cummings said. “It doesn’t matter here, we just go with it.”

Memory Café meets on the first Thursday of each month at the Mower County Senior Center. The meetings start at 2 p.m. and can run up to two hours. 

Volunteers plan the themes for the meetings, with Cummings’ saying, “it’s like improv.”

There are always backup plans like music, trivia games and movies in case something doesn’t go well. There is usually some sort of small craft to do, because it allows people to have their hands busy while they are visiting. A light refreshment is also served. 

Both Greg and Nadeen praised the leadership and volunteers at the Senior Center for making this program so worthwhile. Nadeen recommends it to couples that have similar memory impairment lifestyles.

“My neighbor came to the last meeting and it was fun to see how well he was received,” she said. “He just came alive!”

The program is funded through grants from the Southeastern Minnesota Area Agency on Aging, Inc. (SEMAAA) and is free to attend. Most of the attendees are members of the Mower County Senior Center, but it is not a requirement. If someone is in need of transportation to and from the meeting, there may be grants available for help with that, otherwise public transportation may be an option through SMART Transit (1-855-762-7821) at minimal cost.

The Mower County Senior Center also offers several other programs that can assist people and their families who are experiencing life with memory impairment and other life altering illnesses through grants from  the SEMAAA.

The Caregiver Support Group helps people build a support system, shares information on caregiving challenges and possible solutions. It can be a place to share feelings, needs and concerns, and learn about coping skills and community resources. This group meets every third Thursday of the month from 10:30-11:30 a.m. and is free of charge.

Mower County Seniors Respite Care Program is for caregivers. Like any other job, caregivers need breaks to run errands, go to their own appointments, visit friends and loved ones, catch up on a few things, or just relax. Respite Companions are available to help with that by staying with their family member while the caregiver is out. If you are in need of a Respite Companion or are interested in becoming one you can call Desahna at 507-433-3462 or email her at: desahnab@mcs-inc.org

The Telephone Reassurance Program is designed to provide consistent and timely phone contact for individuals desiring daily contact to assure their safety and wellbeing. 

A volunteer will call program recipients between 8-9 a.m., Monday through Friday. If they are unable to reach the person they will call the designated emergency contact person. If they are unable to reach the emergency contact, then they will call the local hospital. If they still cannot make contact, Senior Advocacy will send someone to the home to check on the person. 

If they are unable to enter the home, the local authorities will be called. 

Participants will not receive a call on holidays or days of the week when the senior center is closed.

  For more information on any of these programs you can contact the Mower County Senior Center:

Desahna Belden

Senior Advocate – Social Worker

507-433-3462

desahnab@mcs-inc.org

Nancy Donahue

Senior Advocate

507-433-8376

nancyd@mcs-inc.org

Sidebar

The Southeast Minnesota Area Agency on Aging (SEMAAA) awards federal and state funds to organizations, agencies and units of government who provide community based services and programs that help keep older people independent. The Mower County Senior Center relies upon these grants for programs like Memory Café, the other programs that were mentioned in this article, as well as Senior Advocacy, Chore and Transportation programs.

The federal government uses a funding formula called the Intrastate Funding Formula (IFF) to allocate funds for Minnesota. The state of Minnesota has not revised the weights used in this formula for 19 years. A change is now being triggered because of the last Census. Greater Minnesota, including Southeastern Minnesota, stands to lose large amounts of funding to the 7-county metro region due to shifts in population. The MN Board on Aging will consider public comment surrounding the Intrastate Funding Formula (IFF) until 4:30 p.m. on May 3. The new Funding Formula can be viewed at https://mn.gov/board-on-aging/state-plan-on-aging/ with instructions on how to submit comments. If the programs that the Mower County Senior Center offer are important to you and your family, and you don’t want to see funding decreased, please consider sharing your comments.