A Dementia Together memory café participant shared: “I can’t even find the words to express how blown away I was at the Memory Cafe today…I enjoyed the youth volunteers so much and quite obviously everyone else did too! The guitar player was delightful. We knew every word of every song. The cookies and ice cream were yummy. Thank you for creating an atmosphere of pure fun and joy. My husband comes away from memory cafes feeling SO uplifted and part of a group of people he can relate to.
Cyndy Luzinski,
MS, RN, Executive Director, Dementia Together
Dementia Together (DT) is a local nonprofit organization which cultivates joy and builds stronger connections for people living with dementia, their care partners, and our community. Memory cafes, one of DT’s signature services,
are themed social gatherings with reminiscing, games, music, snacks, and joy. Since starting its work in 2015, DT has offered over 1025 memory cafes in-person and online, serving more than 4600 people.
“At Dementia Together, we teach The UK-originated family-driven model called the SPECAL method (pronounced “speckle”)
to positively manage the condition of dementia. We model the approach in our memory cafes to create meaningful social engagement,” explained Cyndy Luzinski, the Executive Director of Dementia Together.
One SPECAL principle is that “home” is a feeling, not necessarily a place. “Home is where everything makes sense.” When someone with dementia wants to go home, we know they aren’t FEELING at home. A recent comment from one of our memory café participants living with dementia confirmed the truth of this principle upon his arrival at the memory
cafe. He greeted a staff member and said, “You should always go home.” Looking around at the other memory café participants, he added, “This is my home.”
To learn more, visit their website: www.dementiatogether.org Our annual fundraiser Joy on the Journey is happening April 25th. Be sure to join them for the 50’s era Happy Days party and FUNraiser! RSVP by April 18th! Their annual family friendly FUNraiser includes food, games, dancing, and more! Purchase tickets at Dementia Together Website.