Support, Education & Engagement Programs

As part of our mission to promote the well-being of persons living with memory loss and their families, the Memory & Brain Wellness Center offers a variety of community events and programs. The Memory Hub is providing a new home for our programs, which are offered online and in-person. For more information, see the list below and please contact program manager Marigrace Becker at mbecker1@uw.edu or (206) 543-2440 with any questions.

Visit our Calendar

 Recorded Community Wellness Talks

 

Resource and Education Day Recordings

Younger Onset Alzheimer's Videos

 

Support Programs

Coffee Chats for persons with memory loss/dementia (Online or Phone)  

Make a cup of coffee or tea and join others living with memory loss or dementia for an informal online social group.  Build connections and offer support and encouragement. Participate online or by phone, with a free application called "Zoom." Facilitated by trained volunteers with support from our program manager. Join for just one session, or multiple. Space is limited; sign up by the day before. 

10 - 11 a.m. every Tuesday

Learn More and Sign Up

 

Caregiver Forum (Online or Phone) 

Join other family caregivers to share feelings and experiences about caring for a loved one with memory loss or dementia. Make meaningful connections, offer mutual support, and discover strategies that work for others. Participate online or by phone, with a free application called "Zoom." Facilitated by trained volunteers with support from our program manager. Space is limited; sign up by the day before. Join for just one session, or multiple. 

10 - 11 a.m. every Monday

Learn More and Sign Up

 

Education Programs

Memory Loss: A Guide to Next Steps - Offered Virtually (Online or Phone) and In Person

Have you recently been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia? Join us for this introductory class. Get your questions answered by an expert panel including peer mentors who share strategies for living well with memory loss, and a medical provider from the UW Memory & Brain Wellness Center.  Learn more about the resources in our handbook, Living With Memory Loss, and some helpful websites. You'll leave feeling encouraged and more confident for the road ahead.

A free program, 2-3:15 p.m. every 2nd Thursday of the month. Register 2 days in advance

Learn More and Register

 

Powerful Tools for Caregivers - Offered Virtually (Online or Phone)

Taking care of your own needs is essential for the caregiving journey, but how do you find the time or energy? Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a 6-week educational series designed to help you care for yourself while you care for a loved one. Learn about effective communication, making challenging decisions, moving through difficult emotions, getting connected to helpful resources, and more. A free program; offered online or by phone via Zoom.   

Learn More

 

Resource & Education Days

The UW MBWC offers quarterly events which provide an opportunity for people and their families touched by specific types of dementia to connect, learn and share resources. In 2023, Resource and Education Days will be hosted at the Memory Hub or take place online over Zoom.

Learn More

 

Alzheimer's Association Education

Each month, the Alzheimer's Association will host a free in-person education program on a topic related to Alzheimer's and other dementias at the Memory Hub. Light refreshments will be provided at each education program. Hosted by the Memory and Brain Wellness Center. 

Learn More

 

Engagement Programs

Garden Discovery Program - Offered at Maude's Garden 

Monthly nature experiences for people living with memory loss, and their family and friends. Enjoy a seasonal exploration of Maude's Garden at the new Memory Hub, followed by a creative, nature-inspired activity. Offered in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation, with generous support from Family Resource Home Care.

Learn More

 

SOAR (Shared Outdoor Adventures for Resilience)

Do you live with younger onset Alzheimer's or other dementias? Connect with others and explore the great outdoors with SOAR (Shared Outdoor Adventures for Resilience)! From July 2023 – June 2024, enjoy monthly hikes in natural areas in the Seattle area, with options for other special outdoor adventures. Hikes will be approximately 3-5 miles with varying degrees of challenge; optional transportation from Seattle provided. Designed for people diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another dementia before age 65, alongside a family member or friend - but anyone with memory loss or dementia is welcome. Registration information coming soon. Contact mbecker1@uw.edu to be notified about upcoming hikes

Learn More

 

Strength for the Journey - Temporarily On Hold

A 6-week enhanced support group for persons living with early stage memory loss. Through discussion and creative reflection, participants explore their strengths, values and relationships that can empower them throughout their journey with memory loss. Developed in partnership with the Harborview Spiritual Care Department. A free program. 

 

Our Time Has Come - Temporarily On Hold

An 8-week advocacy experience in which persons living with memory loss come together to design a dementia awareness project of their choice. Participants learn what other local activists have accomplished, consider their own strengths and interests, and take one powerful step to make their community a better place in which to live with memory loss. Previous projects include building awareness at a summer day camp, within a local retirement community, and among the general community. The UW MBWC provides facilitator training and materials for this program. If you are interested in bringing it to your community, please contact program manager Marigrace Becker, mbecker1@uw.edu, 206-744-2190.

 

Programs for Professionals

Please visit the respective websites to learn more or get involved!

Project ECHO® Dementia

The Memory and Brain Wellness Center Clinic's Project ECHO Dementia (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) program is a learning model in which front-line care providers from around WA State meet in a web-based virtual conference room with an interdisciplinary panel of experts in memory loss and dementia. A brief 15-minute didactic is followed by an hour of case-based learning where everyone at the table is both a teacher and a learner.

Project ECHO® Dementia

Project ECHO® Dementia Session Resources

 

Dementia-Friendly Washington Learning Collaborative

We are a group of people who organize, facilitate, or participate in dementia-friendly community efforts in Washington State. We meet online every other month for 75 minutes to inspire, equip and support expansion of dementia-friendly community efforts, learning from and sharing with each other around a common theme.

Learn More & Meeting Resources

 

For the Research Talks & Events Calendar, visit the UW Alzheimer's Disease Research Center's listings of UW research seminars, talks, conferences, and medical school Grand Rounds.