A new café with a twist is coming to Evanston. It’s a Memory Café that serves up coffee, conversation and so much more for those with dementia and early onset Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.
Hosted by Embrace by Open Arms Solutions and held at Three Crowns Park senior living community in Evanston, the Memory Café provides a safe environment to relax and connect socially with others traveling the same journey.
Conversation is always on the menu, but “daily specials” may include music and art, guest speakers, exercise and movement, education and other entertainment or activities—all served with a side of support and heaping helping of understanding. Each Memory Café is unique with programs custom-tailored to participants’ needs and wants.
“There is a lot of talking, laughing and even crying that goes on at our Memory Cafés with little concern about feeling embarrassed or misunderstood, because everyone is in the same boat,” says Open Arms Solutions founder and President Julie Kollada. “Many participants tell us that this ‘coffee break’ is a freeing and joyful experience and that they look forward to regularly attending.”
Memory Cafés started in Europe about ten years ago and are quickly gaining popularity in the United States. The Open Arms Memory Cafe will be the first Memory Café offered in Chicago’s North Shore area. It serves people with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, dementia or related conditions as well as their family members and/or professional caregivers.
There is still a lot of living to do after diagnosis and the Open Arms Memory Café hopes to promote this notion and restore a sense of normalcy for people with memory loss and the people who love and care for them.
Embrace by Open Arms care caregivers are specially trained in the art and science of providing in-home care for clients with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and memory loss.
The next Memory Café will be held Thursday June 16, from 10 a.m. to Noon at Three Crowns Park, 2323 McDaniel Ave., Evanston, IL. The cost to attend is $35 per family. Memory Café’s are scheduled for July 21, August 18, September 15, October 20, November 17 and December 15 at Three Crowns Park. If you are interested in learning more or attending a Memory Café, please call Open Arms Solutions at 847-272-4997.
Open Arms Solutions provides personal care provided by well-trained, thoroughly screened and monitored caregivers to help seniors age and/or recuperate with dignity in the comforts of home, serving Chicago and communities in Northern Cook and Lake counties. For more information, visit
www.openarmssolutions.com or call 847-272-4997.
