Residents of Redding, Connecticut, can now connect with loved ones experiencing memory loss thanks to a program implemented at Mark Twain Library. And it all began with one simple patron request.
“The inspiration was just a single interaction that I had with a patron who came into the library looking for materials for her mom who was in the early stages of dementia,” says librarian Kathryn Zimmerman. “We were able to put together some books for her to check out, and we realized that this was an opportunity to find more resources for that population because we didn’t have a lot.”
With support from a $10,000 grant from the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities program, the library has compiled nine memory kits that it began circulating last May. Each memory kit contains materials and activities designed to help families and friends connect with loved ones, including sensory items such as puzzle books, CDs, and conversation cards that promote interaction and stimulation. The kits also contain a book and resources for caregivers. The kits are all built around a theme: birds, dogs, cats, gardening, cooking and food, fun and games, entertainment, sports, and travel.
The library gathered community members and representatives from Meadow Ridge Retirement Facility in Redding, the Redding Commission on Aging, and the Heritage Center, a local senior center, to get feedback on resources to include in the kits. They also reached out to the Alzheimer’s Association for guidance. The interactions helped inform the kits’ makeup—they also led to lasting relationships with the organizations.
The library has created opportunities for Meadow Ridge residents living with memory loss to visit the library and use the memory kits and other materials. The experience is heartening, Zimmerman says.
“It really is joyful to see them come and use the books and the facilities,” she said. “The activities director at Meadow Ridge told me that they have a resident who really had a hard time settling down. [The memory kits] keep her calm and help soothe her when she’s struggling.”
The memory kits are helping to breathe new life into the town of 8,700 people. And it would make its most famous former resident proud, says Zimmerman.
“I believe we have Mark Twain magic here, because Mark Twain is our founder,” she says. “He watches them use the kits while they’re here.”
The American Library Association Libraries Transforming Community grants offer more than $7 million to small and rural libraries to increase the accessibility of facilities, services and programs to better serve people with disabilities. Redding Library is one of 240 libraries who received funding. Of the selected libraries, 65% serve communities of less than 5,000 people. See the full list of libraries.
Your support of the American Library Association helps makes a difference in libraries across the U.S. Join us and become an ALA supporter today.
Phil Morehart is editor of I Love Libraries and host of the How I Library podcast.
Photo: Memory kits from the Mark Twain Library at use in the community, courtesy of Mark Twain Library
Subscribe to the I Love Libraries newsletter! You’ll get monthly updates on library news, advocacy updates, book interviews, book info, and more!
