{"id":61202,"date":"2025-12-22T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=61202"},"modified":"2025-12-22T07:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T11:30:00","slug":"volunteer-launching-fall-river-areas-first-memory-cafe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=61202","title":{"rendered":"Volunteer launching Fall River area\u2019s first Memory Caf\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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FALL RIVER:<\/strong> A new monthly Memory caf\u00e9 launching in January aims to provide connection, comfort, and meaningful social engagement for people living with dementia and their caregivers \u2014 filling a long-standing gap in the Fall River area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative is being organized by Debbie Young, a local community volunteer and caregiver supporter with the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia, who says the idea grew from deeply personal experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mom has Alzheimer\u2019s. She\u2019s had it for 20 years and now lives in a care home,\u201d Young said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you visit those homes, you see people who have nobody. That really stays with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Through her volunteer work in Fall River and Sackville, Young learned that while there are 17 Alzheimer\u2019s caf\u00e9s across Nova Scotia, none currently serve Fall River or surrounding communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alzheimer\u2019s caf\u00e9s are informal, welcoming gatherings that offer social interaction, creative activities, and support in a stigma-free environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just thought, you know what \u2014 we need one here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fall River caf\u00e9 will officially launch in January and will be held once a month, excluding the summer months of June, July, and August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accessibility was a key factor in selecting a location, Young said. It will be held at the LWF Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnybody using a wheelchair or a walker needs to be able to get in easily,\u201d she said. \u201cThat was my focus from the very beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure a supportive atmosphere, participation will initially be capped at 20 people, with registration required. The caf\u00e9 is intended for individuals living with dementia or other memory challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Programming will be structured but relaxed, with a focus on familiarity, creativity, and enjoyment. January\u2019s session will feature live piano music from the 1950s, \u201960s, and \u201970s, with printed lyrics provided so participants can sing along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen people get up and dance,\u201d Young said. \u201cThe music brings them back to another time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second half of the session will include a creative activity \u2014 a collage project \u2014 where participants can share the meaning behind their work if they are able, or simply enjoy the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding support is being provided in part through the provincial Alzheimer\u2019s caf\u00e9 network, including assistance connected to Wolfville caf\u00e9 founder Bev Cassidy. That support, combined with donated space, allows the Fall River caf\u00e9 to be offered free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat part really matters,\u201d Young said. \u201cA lot of seniors are struggling right now. They shouldn\u2019t have to worry about money just to come out and enjoy themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For Young, the caf\u00e9 is about far more than activities \u2014 it\u2019s about dignity, inclusion, and community connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are so many people being neglected with dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis gives them a reason to get out of the house once a month, meet new people, and feel like they belong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young says she hopes the caf\u00e9 will grow over time with additional volunteers and community awareness, but for now, the focus is on building something welcoming and sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is something people don\u2019t always realize there\u2019s a need for,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it\u2019s absolutely needed \u2014 especially here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FALL RIVER: A new monthly Memory caf\u00e9 launching in January aims to provide connection, comfort, and meaningful social engagement for people living with dementia and their caregivers \u2014 filling a long-standing gap in the Fall River area. The initiative is being organized by Debbie Young, a local community volunteer and caregiver supporter with the Alzheimer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[957],"tags":[9955,9956,9957,2,245,9958],"class_list":["post-61202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-alzheimers","tag-art-gallery-of-n-s","tag-debbie-young","tag-fall-river","tag-lwf-hall","tag-memory-cafe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/61205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}