Act 156, the Older Vermonters Act, set forth a vision in which communities thrive because Vermonters of all ages are valued, supported and able to live their best lives. The principles of the Act promote “aging with health, choice, and dignity in order to establish and maintain an age-friendly State for all Vermonters.”
With this vision in mind, Senior Solutions now hosts Memory Cafes throughout the state. A Memory Café is described as a welcoming place for caregivers and their loved ones who are challenged with forms of dementia or other cognitive disorders and debilitating conditions. Here folks may socialize, listen to music, play games, enjoy nutritious snacks, and connect.
Memory Cafes are just one of the free services offered by Senior Solutions, a non-profit organization that serves adult and family caregivers throughout Vermont.
Senior Solutions is now partnered with the Windham Aging Initiative, a group of individuals and service organizations immersed in creating a bright future for older Vermonters and being a model in Vermont for what aging well can look like, according to a news release.
Today more than one in four residents of Windham County are 65 or older. That’s almost 11,000 people. By 2030, the census projection is that one in three will be 65 or older. The poverty rate in Windham County is about 11 percent, which translates into more than 1,200 older Vermonters in Windham County living at or below the federal poverty level. And, that number is projected to increase substantially by 2030.
Senior Solutions says we need to ask ourselves what are we doing as a state and as a county to ensure that aging people in Vermont will have the opportunities and resources to survive — let alone thrive — in their communities? Are we listening to what is important to them and what is important for them? Can we envision a future Windham County as an “age-friendly” corner of Vermont?
For more information on Windham Aging, visit: https://www.windhamaging.com/
For information on memory cafes, contact Joann Erenhouse at 802-885-2669 or email memorycafe@seniorsolutionsvt.org.
Upcoming Memory Café places, dates and times:
● Brattleboro: March 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the American Legion Post 5 on Linden St. Every fourth Monday of the month.
● Chester: March 6, in Willard Hall at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on the Village Green. Every first Thursday of the month.
● Ludlow: March 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ludlow United Church. Every second Thursday of the month (run by Black River Good Neighbor Service).
● Wilmington: March 20, from 11 am. to 1 p.m. in The Old Firehouse in downtown. Every third Thursday of each month.
