Library offers program to build connections with people experiencing memory loss

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — The Bloomfield Township Public Library is hosting a program that helps people make connections with people in their life who are experiencing cognitive challenges, such as dementia.

Creative Care: Connecting Through Memory Loss is a free program that will be held at the Bloomfield Township Public Library at 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 3. The program will be facilitated by Bloomfield Township Adult Day Services Coordinator Kim Davidson.

“I find it’s really beneficial to learn how to communicate with people that are living with dementia, because there’s definitely a certain level of stigma regarding dementia, and there might be some things that people, in terms of communication, need to maybe consider, in terms of time to process information and the types of questions that they’re asking,” Davidson said. “We want to make sure that people living with dementia still have a voice and are still involved in all of these conversations, so it’s really important that people have the skill set to engage, whether it’s a family member or a friend or just anyone out in the community, to make the person living with dementia feel included.”

Through this program, participants will learn techniques for connecting with family members, friends or neighbors who are experiencing memory loss.
Allyson Coan, adult and teen services librarian, said the program is designed to “help people learn how to have these really meaningful conversations where they can still feel connected to their neighbor or their friend who has dementia or another cognitive disease, because so often those connections are lost as the person’s cognition declines.”

 

Local resources
In addition to this free program at the library, the Bloomfield Township Public Library and Bloomfield Township Senior Center offer various resources that are designed to help people with dementia.

The library has Vitality Kits full of books, activities and other forms of media that focus on senior health and wellness, including kits specifically designed for people living with dementia. Some of the kits include robotic companion pets, which can be a source of connection for some people experiencing memory loss.

Davidson shares three programs that the Senior Center regularly offers that can benefit people living with dementia.

The adult day program, called the Friendship Club, provides respite for caregivers and an opportunity for seniors living with dementia to connect with others in the community. During this program, they engage in exercise, music, gardening, art and more.
“I think adult day programs are really beneficial for people living with dementia. It gives them something that they can look forward to,” Davidson said.

The Companion Cafe is a program where people living with dementia can spend time in a social setting with their caregivers.
The senior center also has a caregiver support group where caregivers can connect with other caregivers and exchange tips and techniques.

 

Creative Care: Connecting Through Memory Loss
Registration is required. To register and to find more information on the Creative Care: Connecting Through Memory Loss program, visit btpl.org.