2018- The Dementia Myth Busting Brigade Strikes Back

You’ve heard of a “Dust Buster” hand vac. You’ve heard of the movie “Ghostbusters” and you’ve heard of “bucket brigades”. What you may not know exists is a Dementia Myth Busting Brigade.

Driven by both professional, and personal family experiences with dementia, our goal this year is to continue increasing dementia awareness in the St. Petersburg, Fl. area. This year we aim to whisk away pesky dementia myths & outdated ideas & paradigms attached to them.

At the core of our myth busting operation are two monthly lunchtime Memory Cafés. We laid the foundations for these events in 2017. The history of Memory Cafes’ effectiveness is well documented. Memory Cafes create a safe, caring, supportive, nonjudgmental environment for those who attend. Our groups consist of people of various ages who are considering dementia diagnostic testing or have already undergone it. Others come who have received a dementia diagnosis, & are living at home facing its challenges every day. Some folks are participating in medical research studies. Their full time, in-home caregivers come to Memory Café too.

A relaxed, no pressure meal around the table with others promotes the exchange of useful information & comradery. Meeting and creating new friendships happens naturally. Support systems are strengthened. Stimulating the senses and thought process through an array of conversational topics and entertaining activities, promotes group interaction and helps reduce any feelings of being alone.

This February we’ll celebrate our 1-year anniversary of our first Memory Café event. Neptune Grill Restaurant @ 5501 Shore Blvd. S. has been welcoming the growing Gulfport Memory Café group in its private dining area every 3rd Monday from 12:15pm-2pm monthly. They’ve worked with us to create a simplified menu and ordering process to make dining out at Neptune’s more dementia friendly.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill @ 1951 4th St. N. in St. Pete is home to our second Memory Café event. This location is convenient to downtown dwellers and those in adjacent neighborhoods. Located next to Sunken Gardens, Carrabba’s private dining area & ample parking allows for a growing Memory Café group of permanent and seasonal residents.

We’ve added a monthly walking club at Tyrone Mall. This is held on the 3rd Friday from 10am-12:30pm. After the walk, a Memory Café lunchtime event begins at 11:00 at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brew. Planning is in the works for other special events.

As 2018 unfolds, we intend to expand our outreach by working with more members of the business community. We intend to help them understand the facts about dementia, and how simple it is to be Dementia Friendly. Business plays a key role in developing new ways to think about how dementia effects its employees and its customer base, directly and indirectly.

We know business owners and employees here in the St. Petersburg area who either have had or currently have loved ones with dementia. We know their client base likely includes people with dementia of one type or another and to one degree or another, and their full time caregivers.

We know The Alzheimer’s Association estimates there are 520,000 +- people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the state of Florida alone. We also know that Alzheimer’s is only one form of dementia.

We’re looking forward to helping companies large and small find creative ways to make life easier for their own dementia caregiver employees, and their customers with dementia related challenges.

For further information on Memory Café events, or becoming a more Dementia Friendly business contact Dementia Myth Busters: Jane Ogilvie of Senior Solutions of Pinellas County Elder Care Issue Consulting @727-327-0167 or sensol@seniorsmile.com or Cate McCarty, PhD. of Dr. Cate, Dementia Coach @ 813-384-7571 or catemccarty@gmail.com.