from Edward Jones Investments; Sarah Brown; Emma Shepard; Vicki Ostrom; Cambridge City Council Member Kersten Barfknecht-Conley; Judy Foster; GracePointe Crossing community relations director Julie Tooker; Peggy Carpenter; Shirley Karstens; Karen Carlson; Tina Lanhart from East Central Energy; and Isanti County Sheriff Chris Caulk. Photo by Rachel Kytonen
Neighborhood Memory Cafes, places where individuals with memory loss and their caregivers can get together in a safe environment for friendship and acceptance, will soon be offered in Isanti County.
The Cambridge ACT on Alzheimer’s nonprofit organization recently received a $1,500 grant through East Central Energy Trust’s Operation Round Up grant program to start monthly Memory Cafes beginning in July.
The Neighborhood Memory Cafe is a place where individuals with memory loss and their caregivers can get together in a safe, supportive and engaging environment. It is a time and place where people can interact, laugh, cry, find support, share concerns and celebrate without feeling embarrassed or misunderstood. The Neighborhood Memory Cafe encourages friendship and acceptance.
The Operation Round Up grant will be used to fund a Memory Cafe part-time coordinator, Living Memories Kits (to use at each cafe gathering), Alzheimer’s resources, promotional expenses and refreshments to serve at each monthly cafe.
Operation Round Up is partly funded when an East Central Energy customer’s energy bill is “rounded up” to the next highest dollar. The average yearly contribution from each participant is $6, and the maximum yearly contribution is $11.88. The money collected is pooled with contributions from other participating members. A trust board meets four times each year to screen and approve donation requests.
According to the grant application, “The Round Up monies will be used to build a strong foundation for the Memory Cafe with the hope that it will continue to be a vital and important offering in our community beyond the initial grant year.”
Cambridge ACT on Alzheimer’s committee member Vicki Ostrom wrote the grant application.
“Memory Cafes are places for people with dementia to gather with their caregivers, family or staff members in safe and social setting,” Ostrom said. “Usually the setting is in a local coffee shop where everyone is comfortable and able to talk.”
Ostrom explained the organization is still looking at places to hold the monthly Memory Cafes, but is looking at the SAC’s Enrichment Center Cafe inside the Cambridge City Center and Rendezvous Coffee in Isanti.
“We are still figuring out our locations, but every Memory Cafe will look a little different,” Ostrom said.
The overall goal of ACT on Alzheimer’s is for individuals with dementia to live well in the community that offers understanding and various forms of support for them and their caregivers. The committee is made up of team members from health agencies, human services, city and county government, law enforcement and education. The committee will help support the Memory Cafe by promoting it, providing referrals and even serving as guest speakers when appropriate.
According to the grant application, “The Memory Cafe is an important component of the vision of creating a dementia-friendly community where people living with dementia can continue to find meaning and purpose in their daily lives despite experiencing memory loss and other cognitive challenges. Also, the Cafe is a place where care partners can meet for support and encouragement because caregiving can be an overwhelming and often isolating responsibility.”
Ostrom explained the Living Memory Kits will also be a part of this project and will help generate conversations and social interactions at the Cafe and allow people a chance to reminiscence and share stories about their lives. It was noted the Isanti County Historical Society is willing to share artifacts from their collections to enhance the Living Memory Kits and the East Central Regional Library has six Reminiscence Kits available for check-out that can also be used at the Memory Cafes.
Julie Tooker, Cambridge ACT on Alzheimer’s committee member and community relations director for GracePointe Crossing, thanked Ostrom for all her efforts on the grant writing process, and thanked the East Central Energy Trust for the grant.
“This is an exciting time for us, and when we got our initial funding when we started ACT four years ago, this was a special project we wanted to try to incorporate into what we are doing,” Tooker said. “For you (East Central Energy Trust) to see what we are doing is worthwhile, and to help us fund it, is such a blessing. Thank you so much for seeing the benefit in what we are doing. This is a big milestone for us.”
For more information on Cambridge ACT on Alzheimer’s, call Tooker at 763-691-6192.