Opportunity for engagement and support at Memory Cafe

As a member of the Sun Lakes Creative Engagement Partners, Neighbors Who Care is proud to be a part of the SE Valley Memory Café, a comfortable, safe and engaging place for people living with memory loss and their care partners to meet with others in a like situation.

“The Memory Café saved my life,” proclaimed one visitor who now attends every meeting. As a spouse caring for and worried about his wife living with late stage dementia, this gentleman felt alone and isolated… but not anymore! A neighbor mentioned to him that she heard about the Memory Café at Sun Lakes United Methodist Church from a friend who attends a similar program in Tempe.

It is always a good thing to get recommendations from trusted friends when you need support. With your interest in mind, we at Neighbors Who Care invite you to check out the Memory Café if you are living with a loved one who is experiencing cognitive decline.

Wayne Mangold started the SE Valley Memory Café project. A Sun Lakes resident, he traveled the greater Phoenix area looking for support for his wife with Alzheimer’s. Not everyone can travel to Sun City and Tempe for engagement, so he looked to create a team to support these much-needed services. Wayne began the Sun Lakes Creative Engagement Partners consisting of Neighbors Who Care, The Perfect Place, Visiting Angels East Valley, Keystone Law Firm, Hospice of the Valley, the Alzheimer’s Association and Banner Alzheimer’s Institute.

The SE Valley Memory Café meets twice monthly, on the first and third Mondays of the month, at the Sun Lakes United Methodist Church at 9248 E. Riggs Road, just west of the Robson Library. Café goers enjoy some conversation, coffee and snacks together at 9:30 a.m. Then, at 10:00 a.m., the group splits up to engage with others. Our friends with memory loss enjoy a planned activity, and our caregivers exchange tips, concerns and information. Skilled facilitators are present for each group.

Look for SE Valley Memory Café volunteers at the Neighbors Who Care Fall Fair who will be on hand at the “It’s a Beautiful Day in Our Neighborhood” event scheduled for Saturday, October 27, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, at the northeast corner of Riggs and Alma School Roads.

For more information about Memory Café, contact Wayne Mangold at 480-580-8317 or email [email protected].