Memory Café offers respite for caregivers

BIRMINGHAM — The Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center recently launched  Memory Café @ the BBAC, a program designed to support caregivers and people living with dementia by providing a safe place to connect.

This new program is “supported by Exhale Memory Café Collective in partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr Foundation and CultureSource,” according to the BBAC website.

Exhale – The Family Caregiver Initiative is a broader initiative that originally launched in Western New York in 2019 and has expanded to southeast Michigan.

Misha Stallworth West, a program officer for caregivers at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, said Exhale “aspires to make respite more available for caregivers in their communities.”

Respite provides caregivers the opportunity to take a break. The programs and resources through Exhale are informed by the voices of caregivers, organizers said.

“Respite is consistently identified as a top need,” West said.

West said caregivers often say that while respite where they can drop someone off is great, they also are interested in options that they can do together.

“Our priority really is focusing on the caregiver and the caregiver’s well-being and their ability to be in community, to avoid isolation, but also to spend time with their loved one that is not wrapped up in care,” West said.

In addition to this new cohort of the Exhale Memory Café Collective, they have programs in New York. West shared the benefits that they have seen so far.

“The arts and culture organizations have been really deeply engaged in this work and really enthusiastic about it,” West said. “They see it as an opportunity to better connect with their community, to meet their community needs in a way that they hadn’t before, and they also see it as a project that reflects their overall purpose to be welcoming and accessible to the folks around them.”

The BBAC was one of the 16 southeast Michigan organizations in the inaugural cohort that completed training and was awarded a grant to run this program. The 16 grants through CultureSource totaled $420,970.

Njeri Rutherford, a program manager at CultureSource said that “in regard to the selection process, we announced an open call in May 2025 and hosted an informational workshop for all prospective applicants in late June. We also hosted 5 pre-application workshops, which included 1-1 assistance on preparing their applications. Like many of our grantmaking programs, CultureSource members were prioritized. Those who were not members were invited to join at no cost.”

Annie VanGelderen, the BBAC’s president and CEO, said that “since we are an art center, of course, we;re having a creative spin on it, and there will be some type of creative project to do.”

VanGelderen added that they are also open to bringing in musicians or chair yoga, among other things.

Participants of the  Memory Café @ the BBAC  are asked to RSVP, but the program is completely free for participants.

“The Art Center is very well equipped to be (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant as well as we do have background with working with people with dementia and Alzheimer’s,” VanGelderen said.

For many years, the BBAC has held a program called Meet Me at the BBAC that invites individuals who have Alzheimer’s and related dementias and their caregivers to experience art-looking and art-making at the BBAC.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer it (Memory Café @ the BBAC). I think there aren’t enough places for those who care for people who do have dementia or Alzheimer’s, where they can feel comfortable bringing their loved one or the person that they are taking care of to outside venues,” VanGelderen said.

Upcoming dates for Memory Café @ the BBAC are March 10, April 14 and May 12. For more information, visit bbartcenter.org/memory-cafe-the-bbac.