Hanover
The Hanover couple were all smiles as they executed a series of twirls and turns, while those around them did a line dance.
It was just another Saturday morning at the Memory Cafe.
The program, hosted by the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Aging Resource Center for people with memory disorders and their caregivers, was started about six years ago by Dr. Robert Santulli, an associate professor in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department at Dartmouth College, and is the longest-running program engaging dementia patients at the center. It is held the first Saturday nearly every month at the Howe Library in Hanover.
“Once people know about it, they seem to stick with it,” said Chizuko Horiuchi, a resource specialist at the Aging Resource Center. “There is such continuation.”
Dartmouth College undergraduates and Giesel School of Medicine students volunteer at the monthly program. On this Saturday, members of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority provided baked goods and socialized with each participant. Introductions were made, calls of “good to see you again” were exchanged, and nametags were affixed to shirts as participants took their seats in a circle at a table.
“We’re all excited to have you here today,” said Lydia Gill, a second-year medical student who opened the program.
First up was a singalong. Songbooks were passed out and Horiuchi took her place behind the piano as volunteers led the group of about 40 in My Favorite Things, a tune from The Sound of Music that everyone seemed to know. During each two-hour Memory Cafe, there is usually an art activity and a singing or dancing component. Marie Esselborn, who lost her husband, Albert, to Alzheimer’s in 2015, taught a simple line dance. That’s when Barrie and Pat Sellers broke from the group to have a moment for themselves.
Artist Alison Palizzolo led a painting activity in which participants used palette knives and acrylics to create abstract paintings.
The student involvement is also a crucial part of the program. “The people who come enjoy having students around,” Santulli said.
And the students like being there.
“I enjoy getting to meet people in the community outside of the context of health care,” Gill said. “I think it’s a very welcoming program.”
Attendance has waxed and waned over the years. One of the barriers is getting the word out. The other barrier — more nefarious — is the stigma some attach to memory disorders, Santulli said.
“It’s always been the case,” he said. “It’s ridiculous, because it’s an illness.”
Part of this has to do with concern over how those with a memory disorder may act in public, when they may have little control over their faculties, which is something “people associate with shame,” Santulli said.
“It’s gotten better,” he said. “Alzheimer’s used to be very much in the shadows.”
But memory disorders often are viewed differently than other chronic illnesses. One way to address this is through education and awareness. Socialization is an important part of battling the illness, and programs such as Memory Cafe provide a space that’s free from negativity.
At the end of Memory Cafe, Pat Sellers danced again, this time with Horiuchi’s daughter, Hazuki Horiuchi, to the tune of New York, New York accompanied by the Dermatones, an a capella group made up of medical students.
“She circulates, she talks to people,” Barrie Sellers said. “We had a grand time.”
And that, at the end of the day, is the point.
Editor’s note: Memory Cafe will next meet on Oct. 2, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at the Howe Library, 13 South St., Hanover. Registration is not required. For more information, contact the Aging Resource Center at 603-653-3460. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
