By Madyline Swearing, Special to the Reporter
Once a month — when the weather is right — volunteers, seniors, and caregivers gather in a room at the Codman Square Library, where handmade quilts adorn the walls. The space is open to anyone, and diagnoses are never asked for, but the two-hour block is intended to connect those who struggle with forgetfulness.
This Memory Café, one of two in Boston, is modeled after a program that originated in the Netherlands in the 1990s. The program began here in 2022, six years after Boston pledged to become a dementia-friendly city, aligning itself with the World Health Organization’s framework for community living.
Though the rain on this day has kept regular participants at home, a team of volunteers keeps the festivities going. They break bread, issue handwritten nametags, and trade life updates in a round table, sharing news about weddings and upcoming cultural celebrations.
It isn’t just the programming that’s intended for older adults. Volunteers at the Memory Café are typically retired seniors who have been matched with the program by Boston’s Age Strong Commission, which provides resources to people 55 and older.
One volunteer is Eve Baptiste, who made her way to Dorchester from England and, before that, the West Indies. After watching her family members struggle in inadequate senior living facilities, Baptiste says she became inspired to help make a difference.
“Our role is to make people feel comfortable and invited,” Baptiste said. “We also recruit people in the neighborhood to join us, and check in on people when we don’t see them.”
Overseeing it all is Corinne White, the city’s dementia-friendly coordinator, who also leads a Memory Café in Jamaica Plain. Though she is a few decades younger than the participants and volunteers, White says connecting this community is important, especially in Dorchester.
Dorchester’s largest age group, encompassing nearly a fifth of the population, comprises individuals aged 60 and older. More than a third of the neighborhood’s population is Black. White says both of these factors have influenced the café’s location in Codman Square.
“The number one risk factor for dementia is age, and it disproportionally affects Black Americans, who are two times as likely to develop dementia compared to a white American,” White said. Research hasn’t been able to identify why Black Americans are particularly affected, though higher rates of cardiovascular disease may play a role, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Cafés typically begin with complimentary breakfast — this month featured fresh pastries, fruit, and coffee — before a round of introductions. For the quieter participants, White says she keeps a deck of cards handy with simple questions to stimulate conversation. The last hour is typically reserved for stimulating activities such as seated chair yoga, educational forums, and musical guests.
The music-based activities are especially impactful, allowing participants to feel nostalgic and come out of their shells, says volunteer Keither Lennards. The Brocktonian has been with the cafés since its inception, after 16 years of volunteer work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“It has given the opportunity to bring together seniors with different levels of memory care,” Lennards said. “There with this guy who would come and wouldn’t speak to anyone. Suddenly, one day, we couldn’t get him to stop.”
This month, longtime musical partner John Poirier played a selection of oldies classics from Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash. Volunteers requested songs, sang along, and danced with visitors who flitted in from the library.
One such visitor was Victor Rodriguez, a Codman Square resident who has volunteered in senior programming for 38 years. Rodriguez connects primarily with Spanish-speaking participants, all in an effort to give back to the community that has given him so much, he says.
“We want to make sure they’re treated with respect and enjoying their home away from home,” Rodriguez said.
White says that besides adult day cares, there aren’t many opportunities for people with dementia to be around each other and interact. There are also few spaces for caregivers to interact with their clients in a relaxing atmosphere, away from medical spaces, she says.
While a lack of transportation and weather may complicate participation at times, White says she hopes her consistent presence at the library will encourage the community to recognize the café as a safe and open space. She’s currently working toward expanding the cafés across the city, to be run by their own volunteer groups.
“People would’ve been devastated without the community they’ve made here,” White said. “We need to be here for when they’re ready to come.”
This story is the result of a partnership between the Dorchester Reporter and the Boston University Department of Journalism.
