LIFE A Dementia Friendly Foundation

09/02/2026

Did you hear us on NPR?



Across Ohio, informal social groups are offering support to those with dementia and their caregivers.

09/02/2026

🌟 Tuesday in Elyria was SO MUCH FUN! 🌟

What a fantastic day we had at our Elyria Café! We kicked things off with some creative Art Expression, letting imaginations take the lead. 🎨✨

Then Laurie and Putter brought plenty of smiles with Pet Therapy and MORE! 🐾💚Putter always knows how to make an appearance extra special!

🎶 Our music, sponsored by Achieve Credit Union, featured the incredibly talented Debra Rose! There was great music, plenty of toe-tapping, and lots of wonderful moments shared together. 🎤🎵

🍽️ Our delicious lunch was generously sponsored by ACC Adult Homecare—thank you for helping make our gathering complete!

We wrapped up our day with peer support and exercise with Laurie, giving everyone a chance to connect, move, and encourage one another. 💪💚

And we were especially excited to welcome a wonderful new couple to our Café family! We’re so glad you joined us and hope to see you again soon! 🥰

A huge THANK YOU to our amazing volunteers and staff who continue to make each Café such a special place to gather, connect, and have fun. We couldn’t do it without you! 💚

What a Tuesday! Elyria, you were AMAZING! 🎉

09/01/2026

One of our Wayne County sponsors!

08/31/2026

💚 Marvelous Monday at the Memory Cafés! 💚

What a wonderful way to kick off the week! Today was filled with movement, creativity, music, laughter, connection, and so many special moments at our Wellington and Orrville Memory Cafés!

🌟 Wellington started the day moving with Dancing Wheels Move to Connect, followed by the always-fabulous Positively Debralicious! We got creative and worked together on a collaborative cake representing the animals at the fair—and it was as much fun creating it as it was seeing the finished masterpiece! 🎂🐄🐖🐑

A huge thank you to The Elms Retirement Village for providing our delicious lunch AND our wonderful exercise program. We are so grateful for your continued support! We wrapped up our day with peer support, giving everyone time to connect, share, and encourage one another. 💚

🎶 Orrville brought its own wonderful energy! We started with music engagement with Bonnie Lowe, got moving with Mike from CarePatrol, and enjoyed a delicious lunch sponsored by Danbury Senior Living. We ended the day with Art Expression, allowing creativity to take center stage! 🎨

What a day! Two cafés, so much activity, incredible community partners, and countless opportunities for connection.

We are genuinely grateful to every presenter, sponsor, volunteer, and participant who helps make these days possible. You are what makes our cafés such special places to gather, connect, and simply enjoy being together. 💚

Now THAT is a marvelous Monday! 💚

08/31/2026

📻 Tune in tomorrow night!

Join Russ VanWormer and Carole Klingler, Founder & CEO of LIFE: A Dementia Friendly Foundation, on Kool Kat Hometown Voices!

🎙️ Hear us on 98.9 FM or 1380 AM
🕕 Tomorrow night at 7:00 PM

We’ll be talking about LIFE: A Dementia Friendly Foundation and the important work we’re doing to support people living with dementia and their care partners.

Be sure to tune in—and share this post with your friends! 💚

📌 More information is included on the flyer below.

08/30/2026

Lorain County!

08/30/2026

Wayne County!

08/28/2026

💚A Night of Laughter, Community & Support! 💚

What an incredible evening at our Comedy Night Fundraiser! We are so grateful to everyone who helped make the night a success. From the generosity of our supporters to the people who worked behind the scenes, every contribution mattered.

We want to begin by recognizing three individuals and organizations whose sponsorship support helped make this event possible:

🌳 Right at Home – Albano Mahilaj
Thank you for your incredible support and for serving as our Event Coordinator. Your commitment helped bring this evening together from the very beginning.

🌳 Sprenger Health Care Systems – James West & Jaime Marino
Thank you for investing in LIFE and supporting our mission to provide meaningful experiences and support for people living with dementia and their care partners.

🌳 CWRU – Kylie Meyer
Thank you for your generous support and for believing in the work we are doing throughout our communities.

We are also incredibly grateful to:

• Elder Path Consulting – Renee Bowles
• Real Estate Enlightened by eXp Realty – Kristin McAdams
• Ganzhorn Suites – Melissa Knapp
• Cleveland Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center – Edna Fuentes-Casiano
• Margaret T. Karl, Attorney at Law
• Brookdale Senior Living – Shannon Shupp
• KW Elevate – The Foundation Group – Dee Mele
• Insight Clinical Trials – Ben Epting
• Pro Seniors, Inc. – Renee Buchanan
• Foundations Health Solutions – Jamie McGuinty
• Busch Funeral Home – Heidi Thinke

🍽️ A special thank-you to Chef John from Chefs for Seniors, who created the wonderful meal for our evening. We truly appreciated the care and expertise that went into preparing our dinner.

And every successful event has people working behind the scenes!

A heartfelt thank-you to Michele Razdah, who helped us obtain our space at the Elyria AMVETS and assisted with setup and cleanup.

Thank you to Aric Gordon from 4:8 Group for helping with setup and cleanup, and to Mary Anne Duncan and Karina Fuery for jumping in to help with cleanup.

And finally, we have to celebrate the people who brought the LAUGHTER! 😂💚

Thank you to Melinda Smith, founder of Don’t Forget To Laugh, for helping make this evening possible, and to our wonderful comedians who generously donated their time and talents:

🎤 Tim Folger
🎤 Dan Brown
🎤 Bill Bendon

Your willingness to share your talents helped create an evening filled with laughter, connection and community.

To everyone who attended, sponsored, donated, volunteered, helped behind the scenes, or simply showed up to support LIFE: THANK YOU!

Events like this remind us that when a community comes together, we can make a difference.

We are deeply grateful for every person who helped make our Comedy Night Fundraiser such a success. 💚

Thank you for believing in LIFE and in our mission!

08/28/2026

This article is about our memory cafés featuring our Wayne County Wooster location. See the first comment for more information.