The Rinconada Library is starting a twice-monthly program designed to help people with memory issues make social connections and increase brain function. Called a Memory Café, these meetings are a welcoming place for individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment or other brain disorders. Activities will rotate and will range from book discussions, art lectures and drawing, garden tours, music, chair yoga, to puzzles and games. Research indicates that interactive and multi-sensory materials used with people with Dementia and Alzheimer’s promote positive results.
The Rinconada Library Memory Café will meet the first and third Wednesdays at 11 a.m. in the Embarcadero Room starting September 6. Caregivers and care partners are encouraged to participate for a shared experience.
Register for the Memory Café here., opens a new window
What is a Memory Café?
A nationwide movement, Memory Cafés help people with memory issues stay social with regular meetings and activities designed to help brain function and strengthen memory. The Memory Café directory includes in-person and virtual meetings across the country to improve the lives of people dealing with memory loss or impairment. Read more about Memory Cafés in these publications:
- AARP: Memory Cafés Offer Social Activities for Those Living With Dementia
- Alzheimer’s Speaks: Memory Cafés: Peer Support for Those Diagnosed & Their Care Partners Empowering People to Live Graciously Along Side Dementia
- Alzheimer's Association: Memory Café
- Insight Memory Care Center: So, what exactly is a Memory Cafe?
Check out our caregiver and memory care kits!
The Rinconada Library offers kits designed to help anyone with memory loss and their caregivers, opens a new window. The kits include music, books and pamphlets about dementia and Alzheimer’s as well as brochures about self-care, stages of the disease, caregiver tips and strategies, and national and California resources. For more information, ask staff at the front desk!
Dementia/Alzheimer’s Kits
These kits contain memory games, manipulative activities, reusable art projects, photos/books, conversation cards and puzzles for various stages of Alzheimer’s/Dementia.
- The Early-Mid Stage Memory Activity Kit
- Mid-Late Stage Memory Activity Kit
- Late-Stage Memory Activity Kits, opens a new window
Memory Lane Kits
These kits include materials about each decade to jog memories. Reminiscing helps give people with dementia a sense of competence and confidence through using a skill they still have.
Caregiver Kits
The Caregiver Kit includes resources and information for caregivers including books, pamphlets on various aspects of Dementia/Alzheimer’s, and supplemental materials about self-care, stages of the disease, caregiver tips and strategies and national and California resources.
Recommended Books for Caregivers
- Contented Dementia
- Dementia Reimagined: Building a Life of Joy and Dignity from Beginning to End
- Dementia: A Very Short Introduction
- The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss
- When Someone You Know Is Living in a Dementia Care Community: Words to Say and Things to Do
- The Caregiver's Survival Handbook: The Caregiver's Survival Handbook: How to Care for Your Aging Parent Without Losing Yourself
- Caregiver Survival 101: Strategies to Manage Problematic Behaviors Presented in Individuals with Dementia
Please spread the word among your friends and family.
