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From YouTube: Seniors Memory Cafe
Description
The City of Boston's Elderly Commission partnered with Boston Centers for Youth and Families to host another Memory Cafe at the Grove Hall Community Center in Dorchester. These cafes are places where individuals experiencing memory loss and their caretakers can meet to share resources and support one another.
A
All
right
so,
ladies
and
gentlemen,
thank
you
all
for
coming.
We're
gonna
start
today
with
the
reminiscence
at
activity,
finding
meaning
in
memories
the
American
psychology
Association
says.
Reminiscence
therapy
is
the
use
of
life
histories
written
oral
or
brought
to
improve
psychological
well-being.
The
therapy
is
often
used
with
older
people.
Mining
memories
is
good
for
people
of
all
ages,
and
that
includes
adults
with
adult
Alzheimer's
disease
or
related
dementia.
So
this
week,
I
passed
these
out
to
help
you
guys
think
about
it.
We're
going
to
do
a
reminiscence
about
our
mothers.
A
The
theory
is,
is
that
with
memory
loss
that
the
first
memories
in
are
the
last
memories
out
and
I
know
every
time
we
have
done
the
reminiscence
therapy
here,
the
reminiscence
things
people
have
come
up
with
memories
that
they
forgot
from
a
long
time
ago
that
helped
them
really
connect
with
their
past
and
the
wonderful
thing
that
I
find
about
it
is
every
time
we've
done
it
here
like
when
we
did
a
reminiscence
about
growing
up
our
child.
To
it,
everybody
met
everybody,
black
white
Caribbean.
We
all
had
the
same
childhood.
A
We
all
got
thrown
out
of
the
house
in
the
morning.
We
all
played
with
sticks
and
stones
and
jacks
cuz.
We
had
no
money.
So
by
the
time
we're
done,
we
were
so
much
clearer
on
all
the
stuff.
That
brings
us
together,
and
this
is
a
perfect
way
for
you,
guys
in
your
community
to
learn
more
about
each
other
and
to
connect
in
a
way
that
you,
wouldn't
you
know
just
sitting
next
to
each
other.
So.
A
I'm
gonna
talk
a
little
bit
about
my
mother
and
then,
as
I
say
we're
going
to
go
around
up
around
the
room
when
my
mother
died,
we
did
of
one
of
my
colleagues,
did
up
a
memory.
Stick.
You
know
how
they
do
that
now
at
the
at
the
funerals.
So
you
can
see
all
pictures
of
somebody
and
she
did
a
fabulous
job
and
it
wasn't
until
today
that
I
was
looking
at
it
for
to
bring
here
with
me
today
that
I
realized.
A
We
like
to
say
by
the
time
she
had
practice
on
myself
and
my
older
sister.
She
did
much
much
better
with
the
two
younger
ones
who
had
who
had
great
relationships
with
her,
but
it's
so
interesting
today,
because
when
I,
when
I
had
to
think
about
talking
about
my
mother,
I
had
to
really
go
back
and
and
ask
myself
a
lot
of
questions
about.
A
A
She
had
her
first
baby,
seven
months
later,
followed
by
four
more
in
pretty
quick
succession.
She
was
she
had
a
lot
of
troubles
in
her
own
life.
She
she
had
a
lot
of
anxiety
there,
a
lot
of
stuff
like
that
going
on
in
her
own
family,
and
she
was
very,
very
neat.
She
was
very
very
attached
to
my
dad.
She
was
very,
very
needy
and
so
so
that
we
had
kind
of
an
odd
upbringing,
but
up
when
she
was
35.
B
A
For
a
number
of
circumstances
she
struck
out
on
her
own
and
she
went.
She
became
involved
with
the
new
school
for
children
in
Roxbury.
That
was
like
the
first
community
school
that
they
started
over
here.
She
went
back
to
school
and
she
got
her
degree.
She
became
an
educator.
She
went
to
work
for
the
federal
government
now.
A
She
went
back,
she
recreated
herself,
she
became
an
independent
woman,
and
so
when
that
happened,
she
really
taught
my
sister
and
I
a
lesson.
You
know
that
you
can
change
later
in
life
and
that
you
know
things
can
be
very
very
you
can
recreate
yourself
at
any
point
in
your
life
and
the
question
is
that
I,
like
is
how
are
you
like
her
and
how
are
you
different?
And
the
answer
is,
of
course,
is
that
I'm
like
her
in
every
single
way,
you.
A
And
I'm
exactly
like
her
and
if
I
am
not
paying
attention
to
myself
all
the
time,
I
make
the
same
mistakes,
but
if
I
learn
from
her
mistakes
and
if
I
go
back
and
really
really
think
about
the
good
parts
about
her,
she
was
huge
for
social
justice.
She
was
huge
for
the
women's
movement.
She
we
got
kept
out
of
school
to
go
on
civil
rights
marches.
She
worked
in
Roxbury.
A
You
know
she
brought
an
awful
lot
to
the
table,
but
I
am
so
fascinated
in
groups
like
this,
because
I
love
to
have
people
talk
about
their
mothers
who
had
that
totally
different
relationship
with
their
mothers
like
when
people
talk
to
me
about,
like
oh,
my
gosh,
my
mother
was
my
past
friend
and
stuff
it
just.
It
opens
up
a
whole
new
world
for
me,
so
I
totally
totally
love
to
hear
people
talk
about
experiences
that
are
different
than
mine.
So.
B
A
D
B
E
Mom
and
I
kind
of
like
tea,
we
are
very
much
alike,
we're
very
much
alike.
My
mom
passed
in
2009
and
we
were
almost
like
sisters,
even
though
she
was
born
in
1925.
I
was
born
in
1952,
but
everywhere
I
went
I
took
her.
She
was
very
humble,
very
Christian
and
did
a
lot
for
everybody
if
she
had
five
dollars
and
you
needed
it.
She'd
give
it
to
you
and
I,
find
myself
for
the
last
10
or
15
years.
Doing
the
exact
same
thing
that
she
did.
E
So
you
can
tell
you
that
I'm
very
community
orientated
I'm
very
woman
orientated
I'm
very
senior
orientated
I
like
to
make
sure
that
seniors
have
the
things
that
they
need
to
have
they've
been.
We
we
sometimes
are
the
Forgotten
generation,
because
the
younger
people
say
oh
you're
old.
We
don't.
We
can't
learn
anything
from
you.
You
want
to
learn
something
for
us,
I,
flip
it
and
say
we
can
learn
from
each
other,
and
my
mom
taught
me
that
I
grew
up
in
West
Virginia
in
a
small
town
called
rotor
field.
E
E
When
you
lose
your
mom,
you
lose
a
big
part
of
yourself.
It
took
me
a
time,
I'd
say
about
a
year
or
two
to
vote
to
move
on,
but
I
still
have
her
and
we
have
been
blessed
when
I
say
we
Carl
and
I
have
been
blessed
with
another
mom.
She
never
had
any
children
and
we
have
been
of
doctor
and
we
have
adopted
each
other.
E
F
B
F
F
F
My
mother
died
in
2012
and
oh,
we
I
hadn't,
seen
her
again
since
97,
but
before
she
died,
I
got
a
chance
to
making
him
in
didn't
feel
like
I'm
holding
him
made
him,
but
I
need
to
go
and
free
myself.
I
need
to
go
and
free
myself.
So
I
took
my
wife
and
my
best
friend
and
we
went
bedridden
at
the
time.
I
just
went
and
said.
B
F
Is
13
years
older
than
me,
and
my
oldest
son
is
17
years
old
I
had
family
and
I
was
their
practice
kid,
but
my
grandmother
had
to
work.
I
went
to
stay
with
my
great
grandmother,
my
great
grandfather,
chauffeur
for
the
DuPont's,
so
I
was
just
a
boy
little
kids
I
had
everything.
I
was
a
chip.
The
sandbox
I
had
everything,
so
oh,
no
I
didn't
live
with
tortured
night
and
I.
F
B
G
G
My
school,
whatever
I,
was
doing
for
homework,
knowing
that
she
really
couldn't
help
me
so
much,
but
my
sister
was
there
to
help
me.
She
was
three
years
older
and
she
had
been
where
I
became
an
elementary
school
and
she
went
on
to
higher
education
and
so
forth,
but
my
mother,
they
had
meetings
all
the
time
at
the
elementary.
B
G
And
all
the
teachers
loved
my
mother's
living,
meringue
pies,
and
she
would
bring
that
and
it
would
be
gone
so
fast,
I
think
most
of
the
teachers
took
it
rather
than
the
other
parents
that
were
there.
Whenever
we
had
these
programs
going
on
I
can't
say
enough
about
her.
I
am
so
proud
and
I'm
a
lot
like
her
in
personality.
D
B
G
G
G
G
B
G
G
G
D
H
When
I
used
to
when
I
used
to
walk
the
on
vacation,
I
didn't
really
like
it,
because
I
was
the
only
one
and
when
I
was
in
Washington
I
had
a
lot
of
I
had
cousins.
So,
but
my
mother
wanted
me
to
stay
with,
I
have
to
say
she
did.
She
wanted
me
to
stay
in
New
York,
but
I
didn't
want
to
I
wanted
to
come
back
where
the
payoff
was
in
Washington,
but
she
was
such
a
good
mother
as
far
as
sending
with
me
packages
and
the
money
sending
whatever
coming
to
visit
us.
H
H
I
I
B
J
Then
I
came
to
live
with.
My
mother,
who
lived
in
Boston
I
grew
up
in
the
south.
That's
what
I
remember
my
mom
was
a
good
mom.
She
was
loving,
but
I
never
heard
her
say
she
loved
me,
but
by
her
actions,
I
could
tell
that
she
loved
me.
She
was
sort
of
a
disciplinarian.
She
was
also
a
child
raising
a
child.
So
by
the
time
I
was
13.
The
two
of
us
started
to
conflict.
B
J
I
felt
she
should
be
raising
me
or
saying
anything
to
me.
If
anybody
was
going
to
say
anything,
it
should
have
been
my
grandmother,
so
we
had
to
work
through
that
which
we
did
and
she
was
an
excellent
cook
and
she
said
anybody
who
came
to
the
house.
She
loves
fishing
too
much
fishing.
She
could
fish
every
day
all
day,
but
she
would
make
me
go
and
I
hated
it.
So
that
was
something
he
called
about
and
she
also
is
so
much
different
than
I
am
I'm
different
than
she
was.
J
She
was
short
a
small
little
lady.
Nobody
thought
I
was
her
her
daughter,
but
she
was
spicy
if
you
said
something
she
didn't
like,
she
would
jump
in
your
face
in
a
minute.
She
did
not
back
down.
Only
problem
I
had
before
is
that
she
always
felt
she
was
right.
She
knew
everything
she
was
smart.
She
was
smarter
than
me
I.
She
to
do
those
puzzles
and
New
York
puzzles
and
all
but.
I
J
Just
wouldn't
take
your
advice,
she
would
maybe
she
did,
and
she
just
didn't
tell
you
so
she
died
in
2000
and
I
truly
miss
her
I
miss
her
mac
and
cheese.
More
than
anything
and
now
I'm
thinking
she
used
to
make
things
that,
like
cakes,
that
I
didn't
like,
but
all
of
a
sudden
now
is
I'm
older
I
would
love
to
have
that
cake.
I
have
that
recipe
that
that
she
used,
which
he
didn't
use
many
recipes,
so
she
was
18
when
I
was
born
and
I.
J
B
C
J
B
K
L
M
K
K
B
K
K
B
K
K
Guess
it's
that
upbringing
and
how
she
brought
me
up
and
how
I
brought
my
children
up
as
to
respect
everyone,
not
just
the
elderly
or
your
friends
or
somebody
else's
mother
and
father.
It's
even
the
younger
one
and
that's
what
my
my
children
do
to
care
and
we
weren't
brought
up
just
white
and
black.
We
were
brought
up
with
all
nationalities.
I
could
take
my
children
anywhere.
K
B
B
K
C
K
M
I
N
Okay,
so
like
I
was
the
gun,
kid
I.
Remember
everything
my
mother
did
she
helped
all
the
sisters
when
they
will
break
up
with
a
husband.
They
will
come
to
stay
with
us.
So
therefore
you
know
it's
like
having
another
mother
in
the
house,
but
all
those
sisters,
but
anyway,
as
my
mother
went
on,
she
was
a
cook
at
the
school.
She
was
cook
at
the
high
school.
N
I
went
grade
school
this
stuff
right,
so
in
grade
school,
where
she
was
to
cook
in
the
cafeteria,
they
took
some
collard
greens,
my
mother's
famous
for
collard
greens
and
stuff
and
I
didn't
eat
college
me
as
a
kid
I
did
not
eat
collard
greens,
so
the
principal
decided
to
beat
me
in
my
hand,
because
I
would
not
eat
the
collard
greens.
I
went
back
to
the
cafeteria
and
got
my
mother
and
she
went
up
there
with
her
hatchet
and
she
said
to
him.
She
doesn't
eat
collard
greens
at
home.
N
He
said
I
thought
she
was
kidding.
She
says,
no,
you
know
when
I
ate
collard
greens
I
was
36
years
of
age.
My
daughter
asked
me:
I
could
cook
them.
She
says
mom
cook
me
some
collard
greens,
so
I
cooked
the
collard
greens
for
her
I
called
my
mother.
Long
distance
I
suggest
what
she
says.
What
I
say.
Some
college.
N
I
liked
them
I've
been
in
them
ever
since,
and
that's
the
only
green
I
eat
is
collard.
Green
I
read
the
rest
of
them,
but
I
that,
but
anyway,
getting
back
to
my
mother,
I
2010
I
was
working.
I
got
hurt
on
my
job
right
and
it
took
me
a
while
during
that
time,
when
I
got
hurt,
my
mother
had
a
stroke.
Okay,
so
you
know,
I
was
miserable
because
I
couldn't
go
and
see
my
mother,
because
I
couldn't
walk.
I
couldn't
do
anything,
but
finally,
I
kept
praying.
N
I
went
to
see
my
mother
and
when
I
when
I
went
to
see
my
mother
right.
You
know
it
was
sad
for
me
and
stuff.
My
mother
lost
her
boys.
She
cannot
even
talk
today
when
you
say
cooking
I
used
to
get
on
the
phone
and
call
my
mother.
How
do
you
make
this
month
and
I
will
have
my
pencil
a
piece
of
paper
and
I'll?
Be
writing
it
down.
I
N
The
only
thing
I
have
not
a
master
yet
is
she
makes
sweet
potato
pie
on
top
of
the
stove.
I
have
not
learned
how
to
master
that
yet
and
I
can't
talk
to
her
to
really
find
out
how
to
do
that
right,
but
I
give
a
lot
of
credit.
She's
88
years
of
age
today,
she's
in
a
wheelchair,
she's,
very
strong
to
go
to
the
stove
she
cooked
for
us.
N
So
she
does
everything
so
I
said
to
her
I,
never
called
my
mother
tell
her
when
I'm
climbing
home
I,
like
the
surprise,
sir,
so
I
went
home
and
she
came
around
the
being
in
her
scooter.
That's
the
way,
hello!
There,
mrs.
Thomas
the
expression
on
her
face
meant
so
much
to
me.
Okay,
but
you
know
I'm
grateful
that
she's
still
alive
and
she's
doing
good
today.
So
thank
you.
O
O
There
were
seven
kids
and
I'm
the
youngest
girl.
Therefore,
if
you
have
a
young
experiment,
you
know
you've
had
a
lot
of
chores
to
do.
Most
of
them
are
in
the
house,
but
still
being
the
girl.
Among
all
the
other
guys
who
basically
lived
on
the
farm.
Guys
did
the
hard
work.
I'll
do
follow
me
over
here,
and
you
had
the
house
to
take
care.
I
lived
in
the
south
until
I
was
about
13
years
of
age.
Mom
took
care
basically
running
the
household.
O
B
O
Was
too
tired
to
most
of
anything
else?
He
got
home
on
a
Friday
afternoon
in
that
Sunday
morning,
so
there
wasn't
much
time
that
he
spent
with
his
family,
but
he
had
quality
time
with
him.
He
was
like
a
kid
with
seven
kids,
but
he
was
like
a
kid
and
we
all
was
just
so
happy
to
have
him,
because
my
mom
loving
that
she
was,
she
was
strict
and
I
guess
with
you
have
seven
kids,
you
have
to
be
strict
but
I'm
in
a
few,
basically
raising
those
kids.
O
O
You
had
to
go
to
other
places
in
order
to
get
an
education,
and
my
parents
focus
was
you
their
kids
will
do
better
than
they
did,
and
my
parents
made
sure
that
all
the
kids
had
an
education,
the
ones
that
were
around
my
age.
We
had
to
go
to
lead
another
part
of
Virginia
like
Northern
Virginia.
Well,
we
had
to
come
to
New,
York
or
Massachusetts
or
Pennsylvania
in
order
to
get
an
education.
If
you
grew
up
in
the
south,
you
know
coming
from
the
south.
O
Going
to
the
north
is
another
nightmare,
because
your
custom
is
Ben,
so
it's
totally
different
they've
grown
up
in
the
south.
However,
I
was
able
to
overcome
that
I
came
to
live
with
my
sister,
my
brother
law
in
Cambridge,
Mass
and
I
was
able
to
complete
school
there.
I
have
three
and
a
half
years
of
college.
I
got
a
sign
on
a
grandson,
so
I've
done
pretty
well,
but
basically
I,
give
it
all
to
my
parents,
and
mostly
my
mother,
and
also
my
mom
prayed
for
us
she
prayed
for
every
child.
A
P
G
Q
B
A
G
G
B
G
B
B
B
L
B
L
L
L
I
L
L
Everything
and
all
the
cousins
and
think
was
only
same
fall.
Wait.
My
mother
was
a
variable
cook.
She
hit
him
with.
My
father
came
instead.
Well
after
he
came
home
from
the
service.
He
like
kind
of
wandered
away
from
city
to
city.
He
liked
travel,
I,
don't
know
he
had
travel
that
guess.
So
my
mother
stayed
there
with
us
which
was
hard
to
raise
all
the
nothing
children's
that
might
have
it
wasn't.
You
know
all
the
way
home,
so
people
used
to
asked
her
that
it
was
hard
to
give
someone
to
it.
M
L
L
H
B
B
O
L
Was
18?
That's
why
she
was
arrested.
She
was
in
high
school,
she
was
arrested
and
she
spent
X
amount
of
time
in
jail.
So
when
she
got
released,
she
wanted
to
come
back
to
finish
high
school.
So
when
she
came
back
to
finish
high
school,
we
had
all
decided
as
a
group
that,
if
they
don't
let
her
come
back.
B
D
B
L
We
walk,
we
all
went
to
the
Freedom
House
and
they
made
a
sign.
You
know
I'm
saying
whatever
the
sign
is
it
so
we
was
going
to
walk
down
to
the
superintendent
to
the
office,
so
we
all
marched
down.
It
gets
about
a
hundred
of
us,
we
marched
down
and
as
we
each
one
of
us
was
supposed
to
step
on
the
courthouse
stairs
and
play
so
as
we
stepped
up
there,
they
would
arrest
us.
B
H
L
M
L
L
L
B
B
B
B
C
L
F
B
L
L
So
so
there
would
have
a
private
college
in
Jackson
Mississippi
Powell
Carroll
College
from
a
flat,
so
they
took
us
into
this
College
right
and
we
used
to
get
donations
and
funds
from
different
organization.
They've
ever
told
us,
they
couldn't
tell
who
it
was
so
we
invaded
the
clerics
at
a
college
kid,
so
we
stayed
there
for
that
year
and
then
able
to
go
back
to
school.
So
some
of
the
cheer
was
anything
in
12th
grade,
believe
it
or
not,
they
didn't
get
graduate
cuz,
they
kept
their
college.
A
R
R
Another
thing
it
is
great
for
building
companionship
and
also
we
have
a
fairly
healthy
program,
which
is
for
a
short
term
task
oriented
help
three
times
within
a
six-month
period.
We
also
offer
sometimes
there
might
be
real,
but
we
offer
any
person
to
go
through
our
to
the
appointment,
so
cataract
surgeries.