The Penn Memory Center Memory Café recently received a grant that will mean continued support of the coffee, treats, musical performances, and cultural outings at the monthly event.
The Penn Medicine CAREs grant is awarded to projects that seek to improve the health and well-being of the community Penn Medicine serves. The grant provides funding each quarter for expenses associated with community outreach activities within the Penn Medicine network.
Memory Café was one of the chosen targets of funding this fall. Held each month in the heart of Old City, the café brings together patients and caregivers for coffee and treats and often features local artists and musicians as guests. The aim of the program is to provide a safe space for social and cultural engagement for individuals struggling with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
“The Memory Café serves a vital role for our patients and their caregivers, who are often isolated in their homes without safe and accessible opportunities for socialization,” said PMC Assistant Director of Care Programs Alison Lynn, who applied for the grant. “The CAREs grant will enable us to continue our tradition of hiring local artists to perform at the café, which enriches our participants’ experiences and builds their ties to the community.”
University a cappella group The Pennchants perform at Memory Café in December 2017. (Photo by Terrence Casey / Penn Memory Center)
In the past, the Memory Café has hosted musical performances, drum circles, guided gallery tours, and photography workshops. Most recently, Memory Café featured Penn a cappella group The Pennchants, who performed ’90s hits and boy band medleys to an audience of patients and caregivers, and afterwards hosted a Q&A session about their musical repertoire.
For more information about the Memory Café, please contact Alison Lynn at alison.lynn@uphs.upenn.edu.