New York Memory Center and Concord Baptist Church of Christ Partner to present the Memory Empowerment Project Strengthening Communities through Dementia Education & Support
An estimated 120,000 Brooklyn residents care for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease, and 70% of the diagnosed are cared for at home. In light of these numbers, and realizing the tough road that family caregivers face, New York Memory Center and Concord Baptist Church of Christ have teamed to offer some relief. Their partnership is offering dementia education and support through a program called the “Memory Empowerment Project” which aims to assist families with much needed information and connections to available resources.
Beginning in January, the Memory Empowerment Project will be offering monthly workshops that are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. The first quarter schedule is:
Sunday, January 11
Healthy Mind & Active Brain Fitness – Staying Informed
2 Sessions: 12:30-2 pm & 2:30-4 pm
Sunday, February 8
Memory Loss & Family Caregiving – Facts, Choices, Hope
1 Session: 2:30-4 pm
Sunday, March 8
Memory Loss & Legal/Financial Options – The Importance of Planning
2 Sessions: 12:30-2 pm & 2:30-4 pm
All workshops will take place at Concord Baptist Church of Christ, located at 833 Gardner C. Taylor Boulevard (formerly Marcy Avenue) in Brooklyn. The church is located between Putnam Avenue and Madison Street; the Madison entrance is wheelchair accessible. Light refreshments will be served.
In addition to the workshops, those attending are invited to stay after for a complimentary memory screening. These screenings are simple tests that take about 8 minutes to complete and are administered by trained professionals from New York Memory Center. The screening is a tool that may indicate if there are issues that should be discussed with an individual’s physician.
The Memory Empowerment Project has been made possible by a grant from the New York State Department of Health. The grant was awarded this year to New York Memory Center specifically for the purpose of developing community education partnerships to assist the many families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders.
Founded in 1983 as Park Slope Geriatric Day Center, the mission of New York Memory Center is to help older adults who have cognitive, physical, and emotional limitations, to maintain or improve their level of functioning so that they may enjoy their later years at home and within the community; and to provide a respite for family members who care of them. The Center has been based at the Park Slope Neighborhood Family Center since 1985. For more info, please call 718-499-7701 or visit nymemorycenter.org.
The Concord Baptist Church of Christ was founded in 1847 and its members have been active in pivotal social movements in the United States spanning the Abolitionist Movement, voting rights and the Civil Rights Movement. Concord’s Caring and Social Justice outreach ministries in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community includes the Concord Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center, The Concord ChristFund, the Concord Freedom School and the Concord Credit Union. For more info, please call 718-622-1818, ext 10 or visit concordcares.org.