Library receives grant for ‘Memory Discos’

Heights Libraries held a "Memory Disco" in May 2024 as part of 2024's Dementia Week programming. Library Director Nancy Levin, left, dances with her sister, Karen Schneiderman, who has dementia.

Heights Libraries has received a $2,500 grant to provide “Memory Disco” programs to Cleveland Heights and University Heights residents who are living with dementia, and their caretakers.

The library is partnering on the new program with the Day by Day Project, a nonprofit organization that created the Memory Disco model to enhance the health and quality of life for people living with dementia. Day by Day staff will provide training for library staff as well as the necessary equipment.

Memory Discos are group events that take advantage of the neurological benefits of rhythm, movement, and music, all of which have been shown to survive dementia. The Disco uses all three—rhythm, music, and movement—to create powerful experiences for participants that enable them to connect to other people, to their memories, and to their bodies.

The grant, from the American Library Association’s Stephen T. Riedner Grant for Life Enhancing Library Programs for People Living with Dementia, will cover program costs that include Memory Disco equipment and staff training.

The technology and equipment involved are simple, but crucial. Memory Disco participants wear headphones, which enable them to focus on the music without distraction, and to control the volume of the music to suit their hearing abilities. Participants listen to the same music, so can share the experience with other participants, volunteers, and loved ones. They are also given maracas and are encouraged to move them to the rhythm of the music.

“As the baby boom population ages, their rates of dementia-related conditions are climbing,” said Heights Libraries Librarian John Piche, who will coordinate the project. “This grant gives us the tools we need to reach members of our community who can benefit from this kind of free activity. It’s just another way we can meet the needs of our residents.”

According to a press release from the Reference and User Services Association, which manages the Riedner grant, “Heights Libraries has proven institutional commitment to serving adults with dementia. In 2021, the city of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was designated as a member of the Network of Communities by Dementia Friendly America. Cleveland Heights is one of five designated Dementia Friendly cities in Ohio. Heights Libraries is a primary member of the Dementia Friendly Task Force.”

Heights Libraries will hold Memory Disco programs this spring, on Tuesday, March 18, at 1 p.m., and on Thursday, May 15, at 2 p.m., at the Lee Road branch, 2345 Lee Road.

The May disco is part of Dementia Week, which runs May 12–16 and features daily programs covering topics such as elder law, money management for caregivers, and others.

The Coventry Village branch will host Alzheimer's Association Empowered Caregivers Series: Communicating Effectively on Thursday, March 27, 7 p.m., on Zoom

Details for all programs can be found in the spring issue of Check Us Out, the library’s programming guide, and on the library’s event calendar, at heightslibrary.org.