Dementia Friendly Baltimore County funds creative engagement grants for people with dementia and caregivers
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Summary
Dementia Friendly Baltimore County, led by the Baltimore County Department of Aging, awarded seven mini-grants this year to community partners to run memory cafes, choirs, nature series and other creative programs that let caregivers and people living with dementia participate together.
Dementia Friendly Baltimore County has awarded seven creative engagement mini-grants to community partners across Baltimore County to provide joint programs for people living with dementia and their care partners, program coordinator Emily Kearns said in a Baltimore County public media interview.
Kearns, identified on the show as a dementia specialist and coordinator for Dementia Friendly Baltimore County, said the four-year mini-grant program solicits proposals from nonprofits to deliver programs such as memory cafes, nature series and integrated choirs. "We have put out a request for proposals for a public, bid for nonprofits to, provide creative engagement for caregivers and those living with dementia," she said.
Memory cafes, Kearns said, are events where caregivers and people with dementia attend together for activities, refreshments and social time. "I call it restorative respite because oftentimes, care partners — well, always care partners need a break… But here, this is restorative respite because the partners go together and actually have fun together," she said.
Kearns listed several funded partners and sites, including Golden Age Village at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, Jewish Community Services, Morning Star Baptist Church (a new site), Neighborhood Companions, Talmar (a horticultural and therapeutic center) and the Iris Music Project choir. She said some programs are continuations from prior years while others are newly funded this year.
The program is run with leadership from the Baltimore County Department of Aging and is part of the national Dementia Friendly America movement, Kearns said, adding that a leadership team of more than 50 people meets quarterly to identify priorities including growing dementia-friendly businesses.
To learn more, Kearns said people can contact the Baltimore County Department of Aging caregiver support program or reach the Dementia Friendly program directly at dementiafriendly@baltimorecountymd.gov or (410) 887-4751. The host also noted Maryland Access Point of Baltimore County (MAP) can be reached at (410) 887-2594 for questions about older adults and persons with disabilities.
Kearns encouraged community involvement: people can join the leadership team, train as a volunteer presenter or "champion" through a free two-hour virtual training and present at least once a year, or join working groups that meet monthly to help businesses make services more accessible to people with cognitive challenges.
The program aims to distribute activities across the county so residents from Pikesville to Dundalk can access them. The episode and an information flyer are available through county channels and the segment notes the show is available on the Baltimore County government's YouTube channel with open captioning.
The segment concluded with contact and resource information and an invitation for viewers to reach out for details about specific partner events and schedules.
