Stimulating Minds and Memories: Community Health Partnerships for Memory Care

The proposed project entitled Stimulating Minds and Memories: Community Health Partnerships for Memory Care focuses on underserved health communities and underrepresented populations in the state of Michigan to create more dementia-friendly library outreach. The Wayne State University WSU School of Information Sciences in Detroit, Michigan, is excited to partner with the Pontiac Public Library to expand library outreach by offering new programs for individuals experiencing memory loss and their caregivers. As the aging population in Michigan is expected to increase, public libraries can play an important role in creating more age-friendly and dementia-friendly library programs to meet this growing need. For example, Memory Cafs are designed as safe and welcoming gathering spaces to support the information and social needs of this target population. The health information outreach award will enable the Pontiac Public Library to host a series of Memory Cafs to stimulate conversation among attendees, share experiences, and gather information resources. In addition, this award will help to build the Librarys collection of materials designed to facilitate memory recall, such as illustrated books, brain puzzles, and memory care kits. Further, the project provides a unique opportunity for library science students at WSU to gain hands-on experience with developing library programs and community outreach. Overall, the proposed community health partnership supports NNLMs mission to improve the public's access to health information for underserved and underrepresented communities.