Building Memories And Bridges

Press release from Towson University:

By Kyle Hobstetter on February 10, 2021

Wanting to help a grandmother who has Alzheimer’s has fueled occupational therapist
and Towson University faculty Amanda Littleton’s desire to learn more about treating
cognitive diseases.

Now, Littleton is providing students real-world experience in helping those with cognitive
diseases and their caregivers too.

In a partnership between the occupational therapy program and the Institute of Well-Being, Towson University will host a virtual Memory Cafe on the second Fridays of February,
March and April.

The event welcomes individuals with cognitive disorders (Alzheimer’s disease, dementia,
etc.) and their caregivers into a space for educational activity. These serve as a
support group as well.

“It’s good to bring everyone together and build a network,” Littleton says. “A lot
of people feel like they have to face everything on their own. That’s unfeasible because
you don’t ever want to be alone. You need a village.

“And in the virtual form, we have focused more on the caregiver because a lot times
virtual formats aren’t great for patients who live dementia. So, TU has been focused
on the caregiver and things that they can take back to do with their loved one in
their home during the pandemic.”

This spring will be the second term TU will host a Memory Cafe, with the first coming
last fall. It features caregivers working with graduate student in the occupational
therapy graduate program who can fulfill their level one field work in the community.

Topics for this term’s Memory Cafes include:

• Feb. 12: Mental Health Resources for Caregivers
• March 12: Behavior Management and Tailored Activities
• April 9: Routines and Strategies

According to Littleton, those dealing with cognitive diseases are a very underserved
population, because there is not a lot of education, knowledge or resources for them.
And with a national pandemic going on, those in this group could feel more isolated.

Littleton says that the biggest benefit of a Memory Cafe is the stimulation. She says
that for people living with dementia, the more stimulation they have, the more it
requires them to use all the processes in the brain.

For their caregivers, it provides an outlet and support from someone who understands
what they are going through. That’s why the first session is focused on caregivers
and their mental health.

“Mental health for caregivers is important because we can’t care for somebody else
if we can’t care for ourselves,” Littleton says. “In order to combat the changes and
the progression of the dementia, you need socialization, you need simulation, you
need physical movement and that has been wiped away. We want to help our caregivers
find ways to keep helping their loved ones.”

Littleton also says that in a clinic, students can be focused medical components,
and sometimes the cognitive components don’t always come through in their fieldwork
experiences. By working directly with cognitive patients, they get to take a deep
dive into a population they may not have worked with.

After working with students in the fall, Littleton says the students have become more
confident.

“The more our students got into it, the more they really, really liked it,” Littleton
says. “They were able to confidently answer questions from the caregivers that came,
which is great, because it's a skill that they're building. And even just to present
to a group of people they don't know is just another skill that they're able to build.”

Once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, Littleton and the occupational therapy group
are hoping to host in-person Memory Cafes inside the Institute of Well-Being in downtown
Towson.

For Littleton, she hopes the events continue to grow, as they combine her two favorite
things—sharing her knowledge as an occupational therapist and helping those with cognitive
diseases.

“I’ve been through this and I’ve helped my family understand and go through this and
what resources are available,” she says. “Being able to do this as a faculty member
and bringing it all together, it’s fabulous to give students real-life experience
with a population that is difficult to understand how to treat and making [the students]
feel confident they can go out there.”

To learn more about the Department Occupational Therapy & Occupational Science, check out their Facebook page. Those interested in the Virtual Memory Cafe can sign up and join the Zoom call.

This press release was produced by Towson University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.