Lyngblomsten launches Memory Collective, an online enrichment class for adults living with memory loss

December 8, 2021

Lyngblomsten, a senior care organization serving older adults in the Twin Cities since 1906, is launching a new educational enrichment class called the Memory Collective for adults living at home and experiencing memory loss. The online class, which will begin in February 2022, offers participants a supportive community where they will discover ways to keep living their best life possible.

“We are so excited about the launching of the Memory Collective,” said Julie Pfab, Director of Community Services for Lyngblomsten. “We are honoring people where they are and building on their strengths.”

Pfab noted there are resources and support systems available for adults living at home with memory loss, but they’re limited. The Memory Collective seeks to fill this gap by providing participants (including persons who may have just learned they have dementia) with an opportunity to come together and form meaningful connections with others on a similar journey.

There will be four Memory Collective classes in 2022, each one lasting eight weeks. For the first seven weeks, the participant and one optional guest (e.g., friend, family member, spouse) will gather virtually with others for a 90-minute online Zoom session facilitated by Lyngblomsten staff. Each session will feature a variety of educational topics and activities, as well as time for participants to share their life experiences as they learn from each other and build a social group. After the online series concludes, the group will come together for an in-person outing at a local destination (e.g., museum, park) based on the class theme

Pfab commented that the Memory Collective aligns well with several of Lyngblomsten’s priorities for serving older adults, including building communities of support for people with memory loss and for their family and friends who journey alongside them.

“During the pandemic, we learned that people can connect virtually and build relationships. It’s been very exciting to see that friendships do happen online—that people can learn, stories can be told, and lots of laughter and joy can happen,” she said. “From this experience, the idea of the Memory Collective was formed.”

The Memory Collective was developed and is being coordinated by Carolyn Klaver, RN, Community Dementia Care Specialist for 2nd Half with Lyngblomsten, and Andrea Lewandoski, MS, CTRS, Director of Lifelong Learning & the Arts for Lyngblomsten. Both have years of experience working with persons experiencing memory loss and their families.

The first eight-week Memory Collective class begins the week of February 1 and its theme will be Minnesota Fun Facts. Three additional eight-week classes of the Memory Collective are planned for 2022. The fee for participating is $175 (which includes the cost for a guest).

For more information about Lyngblomsten’s Memory Collective, contact Carolyn Klaver, Community Dementia Care Specialist with 2nd Half with Lyngblomsten, at cklaver@lyngblomsten.org or (651) 414-5292, or visit www.lyngblomsten.org/MemoryCollective.