Memory Café offers social outing

Memory Cafe, a social outing for people with memory loss and their caregivers, will be from 10 to 11 am, Thursday, January 12, in the Gathering Space at the First United Methodist Church, 102 North Main Street, Maryville.

The Memory Cafe is recommended for individuals with early to moderate memory loss as well as others who worry about memory problems. The mission is to provide a safe, comfortable, engaging environment where people with memory loss and their care partners, can laugh, learn and remain socially engaged with others travelling the same journey.

This first time Maryville event is sponsored by SSM Health at Home. Maryville is the second Memory Cafe in the state of Missouri. There are Memory or Alzheimer Cafes across the nation.

The cafe is an offshoot of the Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group which meets monthly at Oak Pointe. Jessica Loch, who facilitates this group, started exploring the possibility of a social outing for both patient and caregiver, when one of the attendees mentioned he’d like to take his wife out.

Loch contacted Megan Jennings and Jackie Ross at SSM Health – St. Francis Hospital, Maryville. Kim Treese, of the home health, is organizing the events. St. Francis will provide the refreshments and Dr. Susan Myllykangas, will have Northwest students involved. It is hoped that Northwest Technical School students in Bing Boettner’s classes will take part in future Memory Cafes.

“My hope is that it will go to twice a month or weekly,” said Loch. “It will be a slow growth as people come and go. I’m hoping that the time may be extended in the future.”

Future events are at 10 am, Thursday, February 9 and March 9, in the Gathering Space, FUMC. Reservations are welcomed, but not required. To register or for more information, call SSM Health at home at 660.562.7904.