Home » News & Events » Aging Well: Spotlight on Young Onset Dementia
Kesher Cafe Provides Connection and Respite
Dancing helps Brad get through the day. He and his parents always enjoyed the arts. At 68 years old and eight years after being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia (LBD), Brad still turns to the arts to find his happy space.
He has been a member of JCA’s Samuel Gorlitz Kensington Clubs, a social-model adult day program for older adults with diagnosed early-stage dementia, for more than two years. There, he feels comfortable joining in when the group is singing, dancing, or painting. But most of the club members are quite a bit older and have already traveled more of life’s journey.
For the past year, Brad has attended the JCA’s Kesher Café, for people diagnosed with young-onset dementia (YOD), defined as a diagnosis before age 65. Some of the members still have young children living at home. Others were at the peak of their careers when they, and people around them, began noticing their memory lapses and behavioral changes.
“I definitely like it here. It is a place to visit with my folks,” Brad said. He feels more confident to open up and share his feelings, added his wife, Terry. She praised the program, noting, “It’s a different vibe.” She admires “the heart and love that those people give,” referring to JCA staff members.
Kesher is the Hebrew word for connection, and that is exactly what Kesher Cafe provides. “It’s been great, Brad told me he wanted to be around people his own age.” He was diagnosed when he was 60, but his symptoms arose several years before that. “We were on the journey. I knew something was wrong before that.”
Brad had a full and challenging career as a social worker with Learn and Serve America, a United States governmental program. But that is behind him now.
Many of the things discussed with his same-age friends at Kesher Café are things Brad can relate to. “He just feels comfortable,” Terry said. “When we get in the car, he’s always happy” after the weekly Wednesday sessions held in Rockville. “He feels like he has engaged in some meaningful discussions. I think he feels connected.”
Terry looks forward to those moments. That is why she treasures Kesher Cafe. “It makes him happy. If something helps, that improves his quality of life. Does it help his dementia? I don’t think so,” she acknowledged, but it certainly is a high point in his journey.
Kesher Café also offers a group for caregivers facilitated by a social worker. This frees them, knowing that their loved one is in good hands and that they can talk about the issues they face. But often, Terry chooses to stay with Brad and his fellow Kesher Cafe members. “Sometimes I do the activities with him. It gives us something to do together.”
Brad enjoys feeling comfortable in the safe space Kesher Cafe provides, and his favorite activities include talking with other members and dancing. He loves it when ClancyWorks Dance Company leads workshops, and he’s one of the first to get up and join in.
Kesher Café started out as a monthly Sunday 2-hour social engagement group for those with young-onset dementia and their caregiver. That group continues to thrive. But, one year ago, thanks to a grant from the Brookdale Foundation, the weekly 4-hour day program was added on Wednesdays, offering respite for the care partner.
The Wednesday meetings are similar to Kensington Clubs, with lots of opportunities for art, music, and physical and mental exercises. But at Kesher Café, there is more peer-to-peer social interaction, said Colleen Kemp, director of Kensington Clubs. After a few meetings, the members begin to look at Kesher as a safe space. “They want to talk. They love that affirmation from friends and to be able to get their feelings out,” Kemp said. “They are younger. The diagnosis has basically hijacked their life.”
Kesher Cafe is the only YOD social engagement adult day program in Montgomery County. With 8 members and their care partners, Kesher Cafe serves the small but growing group of people with YOD. Although the symptoms present the same as later onset dementia, younger people have unique needs. Kesher Cafe was created to meet those needs.
