Needham Community Council launches dementia care-partner support program, memory cafe and trainings

Stephanie Nock, the Needham Community Council’s new dementia care partner support program manager, described the Council’s new outreach effort to the Needham Commission on Disabilities on Oct. 21.

Nock said the program aims "to create a more inclusive, compassionate community for those affected by dementia" by raising awareness, providing resources and building connections for caregivers. She described Memory Cafes and an hour-long Dementia Friends informational training she will lead across the town.

Nock opened by defining dementia for the commission: "Dementia is the general term for loss of memory, language, problem solving, and other thinking abilities," and added that Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type. She said Needham’s diagnosed rate for adults 65 and older is 15.4 percent, citing the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report, and noted the local rate exceeds the state average. Nock said the…