APPLETON, Wis. — The sound of laughter and smiling faces filled the room at a recent Mindworks class in Appleton. Jamie Chapin enjoyed the moments spent next to her father.
“The camaraderie and interaction between all of the guests who come and the leaders find such fun things for us to talk about each week,” said Chapin.
Living with memory loss can be difficult not only for the individual but for their caregivers as well. A growing support network in the Fox Valley provides resources and social outlets for families dealing with dementia.
Twice a week, Chapin’s father attends classes designed to promote brain health for those facing dementia and memory loss.
“The reason I’m here is because of my memory. I’ve got almost total memory loss,” said David Kuchler.
Classes provide a friendly social gathering where participants can keep their minds active.
“People are interacting with one another, and the jokes are so funny,” said Chapin. “There’s just so much enjoyment and life.”
It also benefits their caregivers, who are encouraged to take a much-needed break during the three-hour class.
“It is equally focused both on the person with dementia, but also the caregiver because caring for a person with dementia can create or lead to the caregiver’s own physical and mental health needs or issues,” said Mike Rohrkaste, Fox Valley Memory Project executive director.
Casey Auer coordinates classes for the Fox Valley Memory Project and leads discussions, exercise and meals.
“We laugh a lot. They feel good when they leave here. And that’s kind of our goal, is that just to help them have moments of joy and feel good because even though they might not remember what activity we did that day, they can remember that they had a good time and that they laughed with each other,” said Auer.
Among many laughs, Chapin and Kuchler fascinated the rest of the class when the subject turned to Olympic sports.
“Jamie’s grandpa used to race pigeons in the Olympics,” Kuchler announced to the group.
Without skipping a beat, Chapin jumped in.
“Gold medalist. They made little jerseys for the pigeons so they could tell what team they were on,” said Chapin.
The class enjoyed the strange story but when asked later about their family’s Olympic glory, Chapin came clean.
“We don’t expect everybody to believe all of our stories. And every once in a while, they do,” explained Chapin. “The pigeon racing was just a fun story. My dad loves saying things intentionally for reactions. Then, every once in a while, people pick up and want more of the story. So I’ve learned to go with it.”
The two laughed about their tall tale and many others they made up, including Chapin winning first place in a 4-H hula hoop contest and Kuchler’s wife’s habit of kicking over neighborhood garbage cans just for fun.
“She can’t keep a secret,” laughed Kuchler.
Real or not, everyone enjoyed the story, and it sparked further conversation.
Mindworks classes recently expanded to cover four counties, and they’re onboarding more participants each month.
“My favorite part is I leave this building every day with a huge smile on my face,” said Auer.
The Memory Project also offers navigation tools for families to find necessary resources for their loved ones, even if those loved ones like to occasionally have fun with the past.