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Thanks for subscribing to the Memory Hub Newsletter, your source of the latest news, events, and resources at our vibrant community center for people living with memory loss, their families, and all who support a dementia-friendly community. This dynamic space is operated by the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center, alongside our partners: the Frye Art Museum, the Alzheimer's Association, Elderwise, Kin On Health Care Center, and Maude's Ventures. | | Drop in anytime between 9am - 4pm, Monday - Thursday. We are located at 1021 Columbia St. Seattle. | |  | Limited valet parking provided around the corner at Murano Senior Living, with validation at our front desk. | | | Memory Amiss, 2023. Kimberley Rettig | |
Art in Mind
Kimberley Rettig, M. Arch, is a retired intern-architect and local community member. Throughout her career, she created hand-drawn renderings and floor plans for home and urban development projects. Her craft shifted into more creative territory as she found that making art helped her process her experience of illness across different stages of her life.
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Rettig’s book, titled Art in Mind, is a compilation of her artworks that she created as a therapy to manage her symptoms of bipolar disorder and mild cognitive impairment over decades. “I close my eyes and start to sketch,” she says. “I find it therapeutic and validating to spend my time that way.” In the book, she includes prose that interprets each image. Read more about Kimberley Rettig and her book, which is available in the Memory Hub Library.
Read article [MBWC]
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Get ready to SOAR: Hikes for people living with younger-onset Alzheimer's
Offered by the MBWC, Shared Outdoor Adventures for Resilience (SOAR) features free monthly hikes in the Puget Sound area for small groups of people with younger-onset dementia. Each participant brings along a family member or friend. The goal is to provide social connection, nature engagement, and physical activity, tailored toward the abilities of this younger population.
While around 10% of people with Alzheimer’s are diagnosed before age 65, most support services are geared toward people at a different stage of life. As a result, younger people navigating Alzheimer’s can feel isolated and alone. SOAR aims to change that.
A lifelong recreation specialist from Seattle Parks and Recreation leads the hikes and provides optional van transportation. Hikes range from 2-3 miles. The type of terrain varies among the different hikes to provide a challenge but still be accessible to a wide range of participants. The SOAR program runs for a year and will conclude with a retreat at Seattle’s Golden Gardens in June 2027.
Learn More
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Maude’s Ventures 2026 Applications are Open!
Through August 31st, 2026, Maude's Ventures will accept applications for both Maude’s Ventures and the Young Founders Program.
Maude’s Ventures offers funding of up to $50,000 for innovations in Dementia care and caregiving. For our purposes, innovation means expanding the reach of quality, effective care to individuals living with dementia nationwide. It means scaling impact to touch as many lives as possible and addressing unmet or overlooked needs within the dementia community. If you feel this describes your program or organization, we welcome your application!
Additionally, 2026 marks the second year of the Young Founder’s Program! This program offers grants of $2,500 to high school and college students, and recent graduates, for intergenerational efforts to support people living with Dementia and their caregivers.
Application Information [PDF]
Maude's Venture's website
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PPA/PPAOS Online Educational Series: PPA/PPAOS Research Update – with Jeanne Gallée, PhD, CCC-SLP.
Monday, August 17, 2026, 3 pm - 4 pm
Discover the latest research on PPA/PPAOS, including findings from the recent international PPA Conference.
Learn More
Flyer
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How to Start a Memory Cafe in Your Community: A Free Half-Day Training
Starting in 2026, the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center, in alignment with the Memory Cafe Alliance (housed within Dementia Friendly America/USAging), will work with community partners to launch the Memory Cafe Expansion Project. We will be offering free trainings around Washington State for anyone interested in learning how to start a Memory Cafe.
Learn more about the Memory Café Expansion Project and additional upcoming trainings.
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Memory Navigator Consultation Services
Free 30-minute Memory Navigator appointments, offered by Kin On (Chinese and English) on Monday afternoons or by Nolia Health (English) on Tuesdays. Get support with memory loss or caregiving topics, including information and referrals to community resources. Appointments are available in person and via Zoom or phone. Book online from the Memory Navigator page, or call the front desk at 206.616.6035.
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Shared Outdoor Adventures for Resilience (SOAR) 2026-2027 Hikes
With the S.O.A.R. (Shared Outdoor Adventures for Resilience) Program, reinforce your strengths and connect with others through monthly small group hikes and other outdoor adventures in the Seattle area. This program is for people diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another dementia before age 65, alongside a family member or friend. Photo: Nicholas Swatz/UW Medicine)
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Galleries and Gardens
Friday, August 14, 2 - 4 pm
Start your afternoon at the Frye with an art discussion inspired by an artwork from the collection, then continue next door to the Memory Hub for the workshop 'Discovering the Herbs of Maude’s Garden'.
Designed for people living with dementia and their care partners, this event invites pairs to connect through creativity, conversation, and sensory experiences.
Capacity is limited to 16 participants (8 pairs of individuals living with dementia and their care partners).
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Garden Discovery Program - Summer
Fridays: August 7, September 4
Join us in the garden at the Memory Hub. Discover changes through the season, engage in horticultural activities, engage in nature-based projects, and learn about this public "memory garden," created for people living with dementia and their families in this 3-part series (July 17, August 7, September 4). Offered in partnership with UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center and Seattle Parks and Recreation. Made possible by generous support from Skyline Seattle.
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Garden Volunteer Work Party (Waitlist Open)
2nd Mondays, 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Maude’s Garden’s monthly volunteer work party provides an accessible way for community members living with memory loss to give back to the garden. The work party is led by Maude’s Garden Project Lead and a horticultural therapy student. Enrollment is open to up to 4 volunteers who would like to commit to this monthly service opportunity for 6 months. Volunteers on the waitlist will be contacted as space opens for substitute positions. Contact: Maude's Garden Lead, Genevieve Wanucha, at gwanucha@uw.edu with interest.
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Books & Beats
August 19, 2:30 pm- 4 pm and every 3rd Wednesday of the month. Each book is discussed for two months.
Caregivers will have a book discussion group led by the Seattle Public Library. People with memory loss will have a music engagement program led by a certified music therapist. In the last half hour, we'll come together for social time and snacks!
Flyer for 2026
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Dancing Together
Select Wednesdays, 1 - 2 pm
Join Dr. Julia Becke for Dancing Together at the Memory Hub! Dancing Together is a seated dance and movement program designed for people living with memory loss and their families. This free workshop offers a unique opportunity for joyful self-expression through movement, inspired by the stunning sounds of a nationally acclaimed string quartet. No registration required.
View Summer 2026 flyer [PDF]
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The Alzheimer's Café at the Memory Hub
Thursday, August 20, 2:30 - 4 pm
Enjoy a spirited art discussion, a variety of live music and singing, and refreshments. New and returning participants are encouraged to register for this free and fun dementia-friendly program.
Join the Frye Art Museum and the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center for an uplifting time of social connection! A unique opportunity for people living with dementia, their care partners, family, and friends to enjoy companionship, artwork discussions, live music, snacks, and fun in a relaxed environment.
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In-Person Dementia Caregiver Support Groups:
1st Thursday of Each Month, 1 pm - 2:30 pm [Flyer - 1st Thursdays]
2nd Mondays of Each Month, 1 pm - 2:30 pm [Flyer - 2nd Mondays]
(The Monday, August 10th support group is now full)
Build a support system with people who understand. Alzheimer's Association® support groups, conducted by trained facilitators, are a free safe place for care partners to: develop a support system, exchange practical information on challenges and possible solutions, talk through issues and ways of coping, share feelings, needs, and concerns, and learn about community resources. Please register for only one group so as to allow space for other caregivers.
Location: The Memory Hub
To join for free, call: 800.272.3900
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Dementia Friends Information Sessions
Dementia Friends are part of a dementia-friendly community. At our sessions we share information about dementia and brain health, tips for communicating with someone living with dementia, and ways to take action. Learn more and attend a Dementia Friends Information Session! The UW MBWC is proud to lead the Dementia Friends program in WA State on behalf of the Dementia Action Collaborative.
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Memory Cafe Expansion Project
The UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center, in alignment with the Memory Cafe Alliance (housed within Dementia Friendly America/USAging), works with community partners to launch the Memory Cafe Expansion Project. We are offering free training sessions across Washington State for anyone interested in learning how to start a Memory Cafe.
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Learn about our Chinese-language caregiver support group and activity program for loved ones at the Memory Hub, offered by our on-site collaborator Kin On Health Care Center!
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Virtual FTD Caregiver Support Group
A virtual support group for people caring for a loved one with frontotemporal degeneration. Every second Wednesday of the month 5:30 pm PT - 7 pm PT, on Zoom. For more information and the Zoom link, contact facilitators Dennis Kelly at dwkellyjr@gmail.com or Pooja Thorali at thoralip@uw.edu.
Flyer
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PPA Together
Do you or a loved one live with primary progressive aphasia (PPA/PPAOS)? Come explore a group just for you! We meet monthly, on Wednesday afternoons. A free event.
Flyer
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Memory Loss: A Guide to Next Steps
Monthly Orientation for People Recently Diagnosed with Memory Loss or Dementia
Have you recently been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia? Join us for this introductory class. Get your questions answered by an expert panel including peer mentors who share strategies for living well with memory loss, and a medical provider from the UW Memory & Brain Wellness Center.
Flyer for the 2026 Memory Loss: A Guide to Next Steps Program
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| | Learn about all recurring programs hosted at the Memory Hub, offered by the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center and our on-site collaborators by clicking on the Support, Education, and Engagement menu item on the Memory Hub website. | | | | Memory Hub Collaborator Offerings in the Community | | The Memory Hub is operated by the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center. Our partners include the Frye Art Museum, the Alzheimer's Association, Elderwise, Kin On Health Care Center, and Maude's Ventures. See below for their news and offerings that happen in locations beyond the Memory Hub. | | | Latest offerings of the Alzheimer's Association | |
Walk to End Alzheimer’s events with the Alzheimer’s Association
The annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s events with the Alzheimer’s Association run September-October in locations around the state. View locations and dates.
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Empowered Caregiver Series
The Alzheimer's Association Empowered Caregiver education series teaches caregivers how to navigate the responsibilities of caring for someone living with dementia. Caregivers can register for individual courses to meet their needs or complete the entire series. Attendees can sign up for all sessions or just the ones they're interested in attending.
| | Latest offerings at Elderwise | | |
Seeking Enthusiastic Volunteers for Elderwise!
Elderwise is a nonprofit social adult day program for people living with dementia. It is known for its Spirit-Centered Care® philosophy that believes all persons, regardless of physical or cognitive abilities, have the ability to grow, experience joy and thrive in a nurturing place of community. We would love you to join our team!
OUR PROGRAM DAY CONSISTS OF:
- Morning Café & Guided Group Discussion
- Outdoor time in a garden or “forest-path” setting
- Watercolor painting through a Spirit-Centered Flow
- Communal Lunch
- Singing/ Music, Movement & Breathing
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO:
- Help bring joy and purpose to people who are living with dementia
- Help set-up, clean-up and support our staff facilitators
- Help serve lunch and snacks
- Be on call for last minute changes (when another volunteer is sick, etc.)
- Play an instrument during singing (timeframe between 1:00-2:00)
LOCATIONS:
- First Hill, Seattle, Memory Hub (Mondays-Thursdays)
- Bellevue, Temple de Hirsch Sinai (Wednesdays)
- Ravenna, NE Seattle, Full Life Care (Thursdays)
TIME: 9:30 AM-2:00 PM (can be broken into 2-hour shifts or full day)
CONTACT: Claire Cuccio at claire@elderwise.org or call 206-913-1757
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Latest offerings at the Frye Art Museum
704 Terry Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
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Dancing Together at the Frye
September 10, 1 - 2 pm
Move, imagine, and connect in this seated dance class that combines classical choreography and playful movement inspired by the art in Frye Salon. Led by physician and classically trained dancer Dr. Julia Becke, this uplifting program celebrates creativity and community.
Register [Frye Art Museum]
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Latest offerings of Kin On Health Care Center
Seattle and Bellevue
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Cross-Cultural (and Dementia-Friendly) Community Café
Sat. August 22, 10 am - 12 pm
Join Kin On Health Care Center for a special Cross-Cultural (and Dementia-Friendly) Community Café, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at Westminster Chapel Church in Bellevue. Enjoy free coffee and activities on the theme of Moonlight & Melodies.
Sign Up [Cognitoforms.com]
Flyer
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Full Life Care and SilverKite Community Arts present Collective Collage Gathering for caregivers
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Saturday, August 22 at Full Life Care, 1625 S. Columbia Way, Seattle. Come together for a morning of connection as you create collages that honor the caregiving role. Learn more [PDF].
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Third Annual Momentia Memory Ice Cream Social!
Join Momentia Eastside for their Third Annual Memory Ice Cream Social! 2-3:30 p.m. Monday, August 10. Enjoy ice cream, lawn games, and social time with others living with memory loss and their families. Offered at North Bellevue Community Center; sign up by calling their front desk at 425-452-7681. Learn more [PDF].
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HOPE Dementia Support offers “Meet Me at the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge
1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 26 at 28908 NW Main Ave, Ridgefield, WA. Enjoy an afternoon of nature and connection with others living with dementia and their families. Sign up at 360-513-5754 or alwayshopeinfo@gmail.com. Learn more.
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