Hello everyone!

Memory Partners had our first engagement group in August and it went really well! We had five caregiver/care partners attend for a total of 10 people. We enjoyed seeing everyone and the paintings they finished. We look forward to growing this group and getting to know all of you better as we come together to enjoy each other’s good company.

We also introduced Mindful Mondays in September. Have you ever been curious about meditation and how it might be helpful to you? See below for the link to join us on Monday mornings at 8:15 a.m.

We have been busy putting together our calendars for 2023 to include more support groups, educational offerings and Savvy Caregiver classes. We’re also excited to announce that we will be shifting this newsletter to a website in the coming months to make the information more accessible. Stay tuned for details to come soon.

Quarterly Caregiver Education

On December 21, we will be hosting a Positive Approach to Care workshop focused on Teepa Snow’s Gem States. Positive Approach® to Care (PAC) provides a wide variety of services to enhance awareness and increase dementia care skills. Gem States are Teepa’s system for understanding different stages of dementia, and how to support people in those stages. Time and location TBD. For more information or to sign up, please contact Sonia Cardoso at (910) 796-7975.

Mindful Monday Meditation

Memory Partners offers a short morning meditation every Monday at 8:15 a.m. (if Monday falls on a holiday, the meditation group will not meet that week, but you are encouraged to meditate on your own on those weeks!)

Meditation has been shown to have many benefits, including reducing harmful effects of stress, increased attention and improved mood to name just a few. Join us, and then let us know how it helps in your caregiving journey!

Reflections

The importance of being vulerable

In Memory Partners, we often hear caregivers express a reluctance to be vulnerable. People apologize for crying, and often fear saying the “wrong thing.” But often, it is those moments where we cry and share our struggles that are exactly what we all need. These moments can benefit those around us as much as they benefit ourselves.

Allowing oneself to be vulnerable and express difficult emotions can help us to process them and release the difficult feelings. Some researchers even assert that emotions that are not expressed become stored in the body and show up as tension and weakened immune systems. Expressing ourselves is healthy when done in safe spaces and with the right people, and can help us let go of what troubles us.

It also allows us to connect with other people who are having similar struggles, and can help form closer connections, creating a greater sense of community. Sometimes, it helps someone else to be vulnerable too, showing them that they are not alone in the very human experience of sadness, anger and frustration. Have you ever listened to someone unburden themselves, and then find yourself offering your own experience, feeling relieved and connected in the end?

Sharing your story and the wisdom you’ve gained from your experiences and help others. Sometimes, hearing a difficult story can put things into perspective for someone else, and give them guidance on how to get through the tough days.

Memory Partners encourages you to be brave enough to be brave enough to be vulnerable in support groups or an individual oncultation. Take heart in knowing that every time you share your experience, you are not only relieving yourself of a burden, but you are also helping anyone who has been lucky enough to hear it.