Every Tuesday and Thursday mornings there’s a special buzz in our foyer area as the members of the MemoryWorks program congregate for two-hour sessions of brain stimulating exercises and lots of laughter. It’s a carefree time when the participants can relax and as they say, "feel ‘normal’ again," as everyone in the group has early-stage memory loss and no one is judging their abilities.

The MemoryWorks program began in November 2006 in response to numerous requests from people diagnosed with MCI (mild cognitive impairment) and early-stage dementia who contacted the Association for help in keeping their brains active. “What can I do to keep what I have left?” is one of the most frequently asked questions from those diagnosed with early memory loss. Researchers have shown that healthy older adults who engage in mentally stimulating activities may offset some of the decline in their thinking skills. Although they have yet to determine whether this also holds true for people with a diagnosis of MCI or early-stage memory loss, they continue to stress the importance of engaging in stimulating activities to help keep our brains as healthy as possible. In fact, “Use it or lose it!” has now become a very familiar phrase when referring to the brain and how positively it responds to being challenged.

Each dynamic session of MemoryWorks begins with coffee, breakfast rolls, and lots of conversation as the participants renew acquaintances and get caught up on one another’s news. Then it’s down to business as everyone gets involved doing word games, sentence pyramids, trivia, verbal visual puzzles, and other mentally challenging exercises. A favorite game is “Word Scramble,” where the participants try to make as many words as they can from a random selection of letters. For example, from the letters LOMSETIKC some of the words that can be made are: most, time, tickle, lose, come, kite, and lots. “Isn’t it amazing how many words we can find,” says one man. “Maybe we should think about taking this act on the road!”

The overall goal of the program is to raise each participant’s sense of self-esteem by providing them with numerous opportunities to achieve and to feel valued. All too often, people with early memory loss feel they are inferior because of their diagnosis. MemoryWorks demonstrates that this is not the case. In fact, the participants constantly impress the facilitators with their knowledge and their ability to master some very challenging exercises.

Although MemoryWorks is exclusively for people with early memory loss, their caregivers also benefit from its effect. As one woman stated, “My husband really looks forward to going each week. And it’s so nice to have a few hours to spend on my own when I know he’s enjoying himself so much.” Many have expressed their thanks for providing a program that gives their spouse or partner a chance to socialize and do something productive at the same time.

But perhaps the best part of all is that MemoryWorks gives people a chance to laugh and to forget about the constant pressures of living with early memory loss. For two hours each week, they can enjoy themselves without reservation in a supportive environment that focuses on their strengths and abilities. That’s something each and every one of us could certainly benefit from!

— Paulette Michaud, LCSW
Director of Early Stage Services

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