Café Connection: A Memory Café was created in 2016 by Samost Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS), the Katz JCC, and Jewish Senior Housing and Healthcare Service (JSHHS) to sup port individuals with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other cognitive impairments, as well as their care partners. Often fearing rejection and stigma, care partners worry that the individual with memory challenges may do something embarrassing, so they tend to skip activities, stay home, and become increasingly socially isolated. COVID-19 has certainly exacerbated feelings of loneliness and isolation for many of these families.
The next Café Connection will be held via Zoom on Thursday, August 12 at 10:30am. (The program is held on the second Thursday of each month.) The group will have an opportunity to share their thoughts, learn about community resources, and share an interactive, creative arts experience—fostering the need for creativity that is common among folks with dementia.
Café Connection provides a welcome break from the seemingly never-ending “to-do” list and creates a place where participants can have fun, “leave the disease at the door,” and simply enjoy one another. The program is free and open to the public, with no diagnosis is required to attend. Advance registration is required. Most participants range in age from their sixties to their nineties. Individuals with memory challenges must participate with a care partner, who can be a spouse, adult child, sibling, friend, or paid caregiver.
Café Connection is made possible with grant funding from the Camden County Board of Commissioners, and the guest artist is sponsored by Arden Courts. To learn more or to RSVP for the August program, please contact Reva Farenback-Brateman at JFCS: 856-424-1333, ext. 1184 or rfbrateman@jfedsnj.org.