Blog

Sensory Bin Activity

Engaging Activity for people with Dementia by Kristy Millar, Resource Navigator Many family care partners of those living with dementia express frustration that their loved one will follow them throughout the house, making it difficult to complete necessary tasks such as paying bills, making appointments, and so on. Your loved one with dementia may find comfort in knowing where you are. In a world that is increasingly confusing to them, you are their guide. Finding meaningful activities that your loved […] https://www.foxvalleymemoryproject.org/sensory-bin-activity/

January Events

Memory Cafés welcome persons experiencing memory loss, along with family and friends who love and care for them.  Attendees participate in activities, learning, music, conversation, refreshments, laughter, and fun.   Appleton River Tyme Bistro, 425 W. Water Street, Appleton – Thursday, January 6 – 1:30 – 3:00p Are you feeling lucky in 2022? Join us for some fun bingo and silly conversations to start the New Year out right! River Tyme Bistro, 425 W. Water Street, Appleton – Thursday, January […] https://www.foxvalleymemoryproject.org/january2022-events/

December Events

Memory Cafés welcome persons experiencing memory loss, along with family and friends who love and care for them.  Attendees participate in activities, learning, music, conversation, refreshments, laughter, and fun. Appleton River Tyme Bistro, 425 W. Water Street, Appleton – Thursday, December 2 There is no Memory Café this month! River Tyme Bistro, 425 W. Water Street, Appleton – Thursday, December 16 – 1:30 – 3:00p Christmas Past, Present, Future.  Favorite Christmas stories, favorite cookie discussion with cookie decorating. Chilton Ledge […] https://www.foxvalleymemoryproject.org/december-events-2021/

Holiday Tips

Juggling being a care partner along with your usual holiday engagements can be a challenge. There may be family members who are not familiar with dementia and the disease progression in your loved one. There may be duties like cooking or hosting which are traditionally your role but could be too much to do this year. While the holidays may look different when your loved one has dementia, here are a few tips to help support you and your loved […] https://www.foxvalleymemoryproject.org/holiday-tips/

Beaming Inc. Equine Café

BEAMING Inc. is a non-profit organization in Neenah, Wisconsin that offers equine-assisted services. Their unique programming focuses on providing equine experiences for individuals with special needs and community members. BEAMING clients participate in riding and face-to-face interactions with our specially trained horses. BEAMING’s professional certified instructors are with our riders every stride and work diligently to provide safe and meaningful experiences. Fox Valley Memory Project is teaming up with BEAMING to host a Memory Café involving non-riding, equine-assisted activities. From […] https://www.foxvalleymemoryproject.org/beaming-equine-cafe/

Intergenerational Chorus Collaboration – “When Memory Fades”

The On a Positive Note Chorus and the Xavier High School Chorale   Several years ago, Emily Albrecht, a music education major at St. Olaf College, proposed an exciting idea to her mother, Kathleen. For one of her course requirements, she would design a detailed curriculum for high school students to learn about aging, dementia, creativity, music, and creating dementia friendly communities. Emily knew the music teachers at Xavier High School, her alma mater, and invited the director of the […] https://www.foxvalleymemoryproject.org/intergenerational-chorus-collaboration-when-memory-fades/

Creative Care – Book Review by Susan H. McFadden

Imagine this: A world where people diagnosed with some type of dementia continue to experience joy and wonder regardless of the progression of their dementia; a world where communities view various forms of long-term care as places for engaging arts and cultural events; a world in which people living with a dementia do not need to be concerned about what they forget, but rather are celebrated for what they can imagine. Can such a world be possible? In her new […] https://www.foxvalleymemoryproject.org/creative-care-book-review-by-susan-h-mcfadden/

Crossing: A caregiver’s journey – Book Review by Susan H. McFadden

I have read a lot of poetry by people caring for loved ones with dementia, but this collection of poems is by far the best in my opinion. It describes a journey of love and care from the first moments of being concerned about someone’s cognitive abilities, to the time when care is no longer possible in the home and a transition must be made to a residential care community, and then to death and grief. The book opens by […] https://www.foxvalleymemoryproject.org/crossing-a-caregivers-journey-book-review-by-susan-h-mcfadden/

Connected in Caring

A gentleman who is providing full time care for his wife who is experiencing moderate memory loss recently asked me how he would ask and accept assistance. He says when he thinks about finding support, he immediately stops because he tells himself that he should be able to do this himself and would see himself as a “mooch.” Those messages or self-talk that are ingrained in us are hard to recognize and can be even harder to change. If you […] https://www.foxvalleymemoryproject.org/connected-in-caring/