Kane County Could Get First Monthly Memory Café
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Kane County could soon have a meeting place for people suffering from dementia and early onset Alzheimer's disease.
So-called Memory Cafés are designed to help those recently diagnosed with either of the brain disorders.
"They are mainly social gatherings for people in the earliest stages," said Barb King, of Batavia, whose mother suffered from Alzheimer's. "It's designed to keep them socially engaged, keep their memories going."
The first memory café was established in the Netherlands in the early 2000s. They promote socialization, prevent isolation, and teach patients how to live with memory issues associated with dementia and Alzheimer's.
"It's not just a drop-off. We had caregivers, and people concerned ... who came with their loved one who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and that's what we want. They should be involved," King said.
Podcast
King is now a caregiver, and she said there are only a few memory cafés in Illinois, but many more are needed.
"That's where there is a definite need, and a deficit of opportunities, and we're just trying to address it here," she said.
Illinois has memory cafés in Belvidere, Barrington, and Cary. Earlier this week, an organizational meeting was held in Saint Charles to discuss starting monthly memory cafés in Kane County. Another meeting will be held on Feb. 23 to gauge interest and find a place to meet.
