Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 4/6/2023
WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Memory Café at the West Springfield Public Library is just what Johannes Postma was looking for: a place where he could be with other people struggling with memory issues.
“This is exactly what I need — meeting with people,” said the 88-year-old West Springfield resident recently during a visit to the library’s new program for people with memory loss.
“It’s the second time we’ve come here. We came back because we had a great time,” said his wife, Joelle Million. “He really needs to be with other people — we just wish it met more than once a month.”
The Memory Cafe usually meets from 10:30 a.m. to noon on the second Tuesday in the library’s Community Room. Crafts, snacks and welcoming conversations are encouraged for both individuals with memory loss and their family member or caretaker.
“Participants are gently encouraged to talk, walk around and discover new things. Caretakers also get a chance to talk with other caretakers to share their stories, too,” said Eileen Chapman, the library director. The café is open to residents of any town.
The library was selected instead of the Senior Center because the Community Room not only provides privacy and quiet, but it’s also easily accessible to other spaces if any participant needs to leave the gathering.
The café helps people with memory issues engage in social and mental activities to “perk up” their cognitive abilities. Lenette Riviera, a dementia activity specialist from the BeEncouraged counseling group in West Springfield, organizes monthly activities.
For the March 21 session, Rivera asked three couples who registered in advance to bring photos to share and help them recall past memories. Postma proudly brought a book with photos showing how he converted a dairy barn into a house when he was younger and living in Minnesota.
Across the table, Pat Banusewicz, 77, of Springfield held a small frame with an old black-and-white photo of her with her family when she was 4 or 5. She and her husband Alan, 76, are longtime friends of Postma and his wife, who invited them to join them.
“I was recently diagnosed with dementia, so we came to learn and to have a good time,” said Pat Banusewicz.
Paulette and Richard Duquette started coming shortly after the cafe opened in October. While her 82-year-old husband showed off their wedding album and other family photos, Paulette Duquette, 78, related how coming to the café helped her solve a major problem.
“My husband needs his food puréed,” said the West Springfield resident. “We have Meals on Wheels, but we didn’t know they could mash his food. I was going in circles for a while until we came here and got the answer quickly.”
In addition to crafts and conversations and interactions with new people at the Memory Cafe, there are collaborative programs offered to caregivers from the West Springfield Council on Aging and Armbrook Village, an assisted living and memory support community in Westfield.
The Dementia Experience is a simulated experience that helps caregivers understand some of the frustrations that accompany dementia. Understanding Memory Loss looks at the symptoms, signs and differences between each type of memory loss.
“This same collaboration has provided preventative programs for seniors, including Boost your Brain Health, which discusses diet and its effects, and our upcoming Brain Healthy Cooking for One,” said Chapman.
The library also has several “memory kits” for seniors dealing with memory loss. Based on themes such as exercise, birds, the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, cats, dogs and more, they include games, manipulative objects, music, books and puzzles and games.
“The kits create opportunities for families and caretakers to interact with those with memory loss and handle items they might not have access to,” said the library director. Several kits — available to be checked out like books — are in the room for seniors to explore and use during the café sessions.
Another nearby activity for seniors facing memory loss is the Memory Lane Garden next to the Senior Center. Connecting seniors with nature, the raised-bed garden is designed to be mutually beneficial to those with memory issues as well as their loved ones and the community. The garden was planted last fall with assistance from seniors at the center.
Chapman said age-friendly communities like West Springfield enable people of all ages and abilities to actively and inclusively live and participate in their city or town.
“The cafe and the garden are wonderful safe spaces that provide stimulation and interaction for all participants,” she said.
Former directors of the library and the Senior Center, who began planning the Memory Café three years ago, also reached out to several organizations involved in the care of people with memory loss.
As a result, Chapman said West Springfield’s Inclusive Age and Dementia Friendly Plan — designed to guide development and implementation of policies, procedures and services that encourage inclusiveness while enhancing quality of life — was accepted by AARP and the World Health Organization in March 2020. It remains in effect through 2024.
Responsible for reviewing and evaluating the plan, the Council on Aging also provides funding for its programs as well as marketing and handling registrations for the Memory Café. To register for a café session, call 413-263-3264. The next Memory Café is 10:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday, April 11, in the library at 200 Park St., West Springfield.
The library’s trustees, Friends of the West Springfield Public Library and BeEncouraged Counseling and Consulting provided secondary funding for the café.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have partners willing to collaborate and co-create programs that enrich lives of aging individuals with memory loss and their families/caretakers,” said Chapman.