At JSS, we host a Memory Cafe every third Thursday of the month at Temple Beth El from 1:00pm-2:30pm, where we come together and share memories, holidays and traditions.
A Memory Cafe is a safe space for people with Dementia or other brain disorders and their caregivers to socialize without stigma. They usually involve a reminiscence component in conjunction with other activities to trigger comforting memories of the past. Despite the multitude of benefits this resource provides to the community, there are only a handful of Memory Cafes in the Madison area. We are so excited to make this resource more widely available in our city!
At our Memory Cafe, we provide a pressure-free opportunity for people with declining social and/ or language skills (due to Dementia) to socialize in a non-judgmental setting. It is ok to share anything that comes to mind and the group norm is to be patient and tolerant of non-sequiturs. It is also a great opportunity for the caregivers to connect with others in a similar situation and exchange information, resources and suggestions.
In addition to the reminiscing component, we always provide refreshments and there is usually a creative activity such as making challah, designing seder plates, arranging flowers along with a lively discussion about our traditions, our origins and our favorite memories. We generally start off with some form of exercise such as chair yoga or stretching and end with sharing food. Attendance has been good and we have had a lot of fun getting to know one another. We hope to see some of you at Temple Beth El at our next Memory Cafe! For more information please contact Kate Shenker, (608) 424-4568.
