Posted by Beth Soltzberg

Last month, JF&CS Memory Café participants were asked to create a collage that represented their life. Collages were combined to create a beautiful display along with quotes from participants in English and translated into Russian and Spanish explaining what the art making experience was like. We are excited to announce that the display will be featured at the Multicultural Coalition on Aging Conference at the end of this month in Watertown.

At today's Memory Café at JF&CS Headquarters in Waltham, we presented the final display to all attendees. We also caught up with Jack, a monthly regular, who was an engineer in the Air Force. He shared with us where he got the name for his collage, "The Ultimate Toy":

A memory café is a welcoming place for people with forgetfulness or other changes in their thinking and for their family and friends. The JF&CS Memory Café, the first intergenerational café in Massachusetts, features a guest artist, dancer, musician, poet, or author each month who shares his or her work and leads the group in a related activity.

Beth Soltzberg, LCSW, MBA, manages the Alzheimer's/Related Disorders Family Support program and works as a coordinator with the Parkinson's Family Support Program. These programs of Jewish Family & Children's Service encompass support, education, and the arts.Beth's work includes facilitating caregiver support and education groups, and designing new offerings for families affected by Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Beth earned her MSW and MBA from the University of Chicago and a certificate in end-of-life care from the Smith College School of Social Work. She holds an advanced credential in hospice and palliative care social work.