If you or someone close to you is affected by dementia and you’re looking to fill a social void this past year, the ADRC of the Lakeshore is bringing back its Memory Cafes in Kewaunee County. The Algoma Memory Cafe takes place on the second Wednesday of each month and the Kewaunee Memory Cafe is held on the third Wednesday of each month.
ADRC of the Lakeshore’s dementia care specialist, Ariel Yang, says once dementia is involved in one’s life, it can isolate them from their loved ones and things they enjoy. Yang explains that the memory cafe serves as a way to regain some of the aspects of their lives they lost.
The cafe is open to caregivers and families who want to tag along. Yang says professional caregivers will occasionally make an appearance, bringing others with mild cognitive impairment. Yang says while they’ll be careful at their gatherings in order to prevent COVID19 transmission, getting the cafes going again has been a longtime coming considering they haven’t held one since last February.
To keep things fresh, exciting, and new, the ADRC likes to do a monthly theme. The August theme is a “Wiki Wiki Luau” Hawaiian one. Guests like speakers or businesses also stop by sometimes to provide entertainment or activities such as speaker presentations or show choirs, making crafts, and enjoying ice cream shops.
