Ideas to Action 2019: Memory Care Kits, Beloit Public Library
Our financial strength means we can turn ideas into reality. Investing in our members drives innovation and collaboration that, in turn, fuels other libraries to take projects further. This series, written by award recipients, highlights projects and outcomes of the 2019 WiLS Ideas to Action Fund. If you’d like your project considered for the 2020 award period, visit our Ideas to Action website or email us at .
We are pleased to report that the project supported by the Ideas to Action Grant given to Beloit Public Library to put together memory care kits is almost complete. After meeting with community partners who will be using the kits in their work with caregivers here at the library and outside of our facility, we decided to modify the name of them. The “Share Kits,” as they are now called, are themed resources for caregivers to share with adults who have memory loss or dementia or to share with adults and children with special needs. For example, the baby-themed kit includes a baby doll, clothes, CD player, lullaby and children’s songs CDs, and large print coloring books with oversized crayons. Changing the name of the kits made them more inclusive of all types of caregivers.
We have just scheduled a series of caregiver events at the library where respite volunteers will be using these kits to engage with adults while their caregivers are attending workshops, perfect timing for their first use. The last step in getting these kits available for those events and for patron checkout is cataloging the contents of each one.
What has been rewarding about this project is connecting with the Rock County Council on Aging and the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Alliance of Southern Wisconsin. Getting advice on the content of the kits and how to market them from both of these partners was invaluable in the process. We look forward to having these kits circulating in 2020 thanks to the Ideas to Action Grant.
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