FALL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN 2018
by Memory Care Life
Natasha Boissier
Dearest Family, Friends and Colleagues,
I am raising funds this year for Memory Care Life in gratitude for their dedicated services in the Bay Area. Memory Care Life provides one of the few community programs for persons with early-stage dementia and their care partners by providing weekly social activities and events they can enjoy together in San Francisco, Marin and the East Bay. Memory Care Life is a big hearted program that makes a tangible difference in the lives of its participants.
As a Board member, I can say this is a critical year for Memory Care Life which recently lost its main donor. Although there is a new sponsor coming on board one year from now, your help is needed to continue to provide services over the next twelve months.
Memory Care Life holds dear its value to offer their programs for free to this particular community already dealing with so much. Thanks to its volunteers who donate countless hours in program activity, fundraising and outreach, they are able to do that on a small budget, however your help is needed at this time to cover program oordination and supply costs! Please consider a small or large donation to my favorite community nonprofit: Memory Care Life: www.memorycarelife.org
Bring it!
Natasha
Welcome to our 2018 Fall Fundraiser!
"Memory Care Café provides access to a loving community, encompassing support with meaningful activities and engaging ideas. This is a welcome break for my parents, my husband and me, and the other caretakers in their circle of friends." – Katarina Bakerova, care partner
It's the Fall, and we are reaching out to you for help. When we began with our weekly memory cafés over five years ago, we wanted to offer local dementia care partners a safe place to socialize and make new friends. Our participants have taught us what works best: sharing a meal in an attractive location, engaging in dementia-friendly activities, and relaxing and chatting together. Our weekly gatherings are part of a worldwide memory café movement, which now counts more than 300 cafés in the US alone.
Last November we started a new experiment: a dementia co-op that allows caregivers to step away while their partner stays. This made sense to us because our gatherings are short in duration and our participants have become friends. We’re just beginning to develop this model with the help of our care partners. It has real benefits: an opportunity for a few hours respite or simply enjoying a fun and stimulating social gathering with friends. Thanks to our generous co-op host, Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, our caregivers also have access to a private space to work, read, or relax while staying close by.
"The Cafés promote intimacy and connection in the couple's relationship, while at the same time allowing them to enjoy the benefits of socializing with others. I recommend this program to everyone with early stage memory loss and their partners! " – Natasha Boissier, LCSW, Clinical Social Worker
If that’s not enough, consider these challenges facing our aging community:
- 25,000 people in San Francisco are living with memory loss
- Approximately 70% live at home
- Isolation and lack of engagement are common problems
- People with dementia and their caregivers are less likely to use traditional, senior support services
Please consider donating generously this fall to help grow dementia friendly initiatives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Memory Care Life is a non-profit 501(c)(3) through fiscal sponsorship under Community Initiatives of Oakland and your contributions are tax-deductible.
Thank you for very much for your visit and please spread the word!
Debora Tingley and Patricia Ris
Co-founders of Memory Care Life and Memory Care Café