Bringing Communities Together Through Partnerships

“Are there programs in my community that my dad and I can enjoy together?” “How can I find activities that are fun for Mom when her responses are unpredictable?” These questions may sound familiar to a caregiver. Looking for ways to keep Mom or Dad meaningfully engaged while a caregiver gets things done around the house or in the community is often a challenge.

“Are there programs in my community that my dad and I can enjoy together?” “How can I find activities that are fun for Mom when her responses are unpredictable?” These questions may sound familiar to a caregiver. Looking for ways to keep Mom or Dad meaningfully engaged while a caregiver gets things done around the house or in the community is often a challenge.

With connect2culture® training, a growing roster of cultural partners in New York City has developed programs that offer shared experiences for caregivers and the person in their care. Ongoing support ensures that the staff of our cultural partners understands the disease and the needs of people with dementia and their caregivers. While primarily art museums respond to the need for activities that supported emotional and social connections, connect2culture also emphasizes the need for respite through shared experience. Three of the newest connect2culture community partners that seek to do this are Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the New York Botanical Garden, and Music & Memory®.

The Grammy Award-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra had thought about doing more community-based performances when connect2culture came up during conversation. It wasn’t long until the two organizations realized it was a good match. A funder who had learned about connect2culture recognized that through its support of the partnership they would enable two community organizations to create meaningful experiences through music, With Music in Mind. The first of these programs will be hosted by one of connect2culture’s cultural partners, the Brooklyn Museum, a long-established public cultural institution. In contrast, the second program will be hosted by Hebrew Home at Riverdale and available to the residents living in the memory care neighborhoods accompanied by their families.

For individuals with dementia living at home, CaringKind’s Music & Memory at Home pilot creates customized playlists based on guided feedback from family caregivers. Using donated kits that include easy-to-use portable music equipment, individuals with dementia can reconnect with memories through music. In partnership with Music & Memory, an organization that brings customized playlists to residents in healthcare centers, CaringKind reaches individuals living at home, for whom these playlists have helped with transitions in daily activities which might have caused anxiety or feelings of isolation and depression.

To connect with the botanical resources in New York City, CaringKind has partnered with the New York Botanical Garden, combining the expertise in horticultural therapy with cultural programming and dementia care, to create a curriculum for the botanic gardens across the five boroughs. While New York City is fortunate enough to have botanic gardens in every borough, there is only one known program serving people with dementia and their caregivers, the Memory Tour at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Botanic gardens are a rich source of sensory experiences, and a wonderful way to spend time with family outdoors – to smell, taste, touch, hear, and see signs of nature, especially the new growth that emerges with this season. This curriculum will be a tool that horticultural sites can use to implement a guided shared experience in their gardens for families affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

The team effort essential to building and perpetuating a strong community partnership is what makes the relationship rewarding, successful and sustainable. Connect2culture relies on developing relationships to support more local cultural institutions looking to engage this audience. By pooling resources and expertise with its partners, connect2culture builds a network of organizations dedicated to making their collections accessible and enjoyable for caregivers and the people under their care.

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