Sisters to host Memory Cafés

Beginning in September, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, will host a monthly Memory Café. A Memory Café is a welcoming place where people living with early to moderate dementia and their care partners can gather together to share, laugh, learn and remain socially connected with others.

The Congregation will host their Memory Café in the Havlik Center in Providence Hall at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on the third Thursday of every month from 2 to 4 p.m. The first Memory Café will take place on Thursday, Sept. 19.

Congregation Well-Being Coordinator Katie Harich, MA, CPC, said the group-driven gatherings are designed to address the isolation a dementia diagnosis can bring, by providing support, connectedness and community at a time when it is most needed.

“A Memory Café is a safe, comfortable space for people to gather and connect with others walking a similar journey,” Harich said. “It’s not a daycare or a drop-off. The power of the group is in loved ones being together, sharing, giving and getting support.”

The Memory Café idea stemmed from the Congregation’s HOME (Helping Ourselves Meaningfully Engage) team, which Harich said has “broadened its focus” in recent months to include not just Sisters of Providence and those residing at Providence Health Care, but also the general public.

“In the past, we’ve been inward facing with our programming,” Harich said. “Due to the Sisters’ investment in staff’s dementia training and certifications and their dedication to serving the community, we are extending our reach to the greater community so more can benefit. Every 65 seconds in our nation, a person is diagnosed with dementia. There is no better time, nor greater need, for this resource than now.”

By hosting the Memory Cafés, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods becomes the sixth city in Indiana to offer the programming, joining Schererville, Bloomington, Evansville, Fishers and New Albany. It is also the only city in the Wabash Valley to offer the programming.

In addition to the start date of Sept. 19, dates for the Memory Café events include Oct. 17, Nov. 21, and Dec. 19, all in 2019; and Jan. 16, Feb. 20, March 19, April 16, May 21, June 18, July 16 and Aug. 20, in 2020.

Parking for the Havlik Center can be accessed on the east side of Providence Hall, which is handicapped accessible via the first-floor lift to the building.

There is no cost to attend. Learn more here or by calling 812-535-2860 or emailing kharich@spsmw.org.