In The Media

“Fostering friendships amid the increased isolation of the pandemic has been challenging for older folks and the impacts are amplified for those with dementia, a Victoria researcher said. But a Memory Cafe Victoria program overseen by University of Victoria nursing professor Debra Sheets this past spring helped bring connections back into the lives of those people, prompting a decision to restart the initiative in late September. The 12-week program is for people living with mild to moderate dementia, as well as their family members and local university students…”

“Participants in a new online arts “café” for people with dementia can sing, move and meet each other — all of which have been shown to be good for the brain, says the organizer, a University of Victoria nursing professor. The one-hour Memory Café sessions, the city’s first, include storytelling, poetry, music, art and gentle movement. Eight people with dementia met for their second online session Saturday, accompanied by their caregivers.

“I really believe in the power of the arts to draw attention away from the losses of dementia,” says Debra Sheets, who is also a researcher in UVic’s Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health. “You’re not your disease...”

“Debra Sheets, a University of Victoria nursing professor, hopes to bring all those aspects together with her Memory Cafe Victoria program. Memory cafes bring people living with memory loss and their caregivers together with others in the same position, so they can socialize and be supported by those who know what it’s like to live with — or care for someone with — dementia...”