Library Impact: A Dementia-Friendly Concert Series at the Memory Hub
On a Monday afternoon in mid-August, a spacious courtyard on Seattle's First Hill is alive with flowers, music, dancing and quiet conversation. It is cloudy, but the mood is all sunshine at the Memory Hub, a dementia-specific community center on th…
A couple dances at the August "Celebrate Summer" concert at the Memory Hub.
On a Monday afternoon in mid-August, a spacious courtyard on Seattle's First Hill is alive with flowers, music, dancing and quiet conversation. It is cloudy, but the mood is all sunshine at the Memory Hub, a dementia-specific community center on the Frye Museum campus founded by the University of Washington Memory and Brain Wellness Center.
At one end of the courtyard, DJ Mr. Cliff is enthusiastically spinning golden oldies. "I'm all shook up!" he says as he puts on Elvis.
An older gentleman in his early 90s, Charlie, steps out to dance with his daughter Lauren. He then dances with Marigrace Becker, the director of the Memory Hub. Other couples and singles join them. The crowd includes people with memory loss and caregivers served by the Memory Hub, as well as staff from the Memory Hub and The Seattle Public Library.
D.J. Mr. Cliff is a favorite at the Memory Hub's summer concert series.
"A unique approach" to community listening
This event, part of a summer concert series, is the result of a collaboration between the Memory Hub and The Seattle Public Library to create programming directly informed by people with memory loss and their caregivers.
To gather ideas, they held a community listening session at the Memory Hub in January 2024. While both organizations use community listening to get input on programs, "engaging people with memory loss requires a unique approach," explains Emily Billow, the Library's Older Adults program manager.
As facilitator, Billow used "What brings you joy?" as a guiding question. Participants could also select objects or pictures, and caregivers assisted in articulating their loved ones' preferences. They also conducted a survey.
Themes that emerged included the importance of community and connection; movement and being outside; and music, in all its forms.
"We know that music is important for those with memory loss as it helps to elicit memories, regulate mood and promote healthy cognitive function," says Billow.
"A day without music won't kill you, but why risk it?"
The Memory Hub's beautiful outdoor space is ideal for the music series they designed, which kicked off in July and will go through September. While some dance, others can take a break at the other end of the courtyard on the built-in benches of Maude's Garden. Refreshments are served: Shirley Temples, La Croix, crackers, cheese and grapes.
The outdoor space at the Memory Hub includes Maude's Garden, where people can take a break from dancing.
Kathleen, a woman who had stopped by the August event at the suggestion of her son, reflects on the joy that music brings.
"A day without music won't kill you, but why risk it?" she jokes.
Lauren dances with her father Charlie. "He feels it, and it brings him to life."
An hour into the gathering, Charlie finally takes a break from dancing with his daughter Lauren by his side. Lauren explains that Charlie was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and vascular dementia several years ago. He is living at a nearby assisted living facility and may soon transition to memory care.
"The Memory Hub is my lifeline," says Lauren. She praises all the Memory Hub programs Charlie has engaged with, including Elderwise and the Alzheimer's Café. But this concert series is something special.
"You don't have to hold a conversation," she says. "You can just dance. And it's engagement through movement. He feels it, and it brings him to life."
Her father, meanwhile, has high praise for DJ Mr. Cliff: "He picks out what sounds good and gets rid of the garbage."
More than 150 people have attended the five concerts so far, a testament to the power of music. The last "Celebrate Summer" concert will be held on Monday, Sept. 30, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Memory Hub.
"Books and Beats," another series that came out of community listening, will continue at the Memory Hub through December. While caregivers participate in a book discussion, their loved ones engage in a music therapy group.
This story is part of a new series about the Library's impact. See also our 2023 Impact Report.
Fast Facts about the Library's Older Adults program
Number of Library older adult programs and outreach in 2023: 63
Total attendance: 1,925
Examples of programs: Civic Coffee Hours, Creative Chats in Community, the Senior Housing Authority Senior Building Pilot, NewHolly Community Listening Session, Ducks in a Row Series, End-of-Life Planning sessions, and more, all held in collaboration with community partners.
Number of languages: Amharic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Oromo, Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, and English.
Community listening is a component of all programs: For example, Creative Chats in Community, a monthly art and health resource sharing event, was informed by elders in the High Point community.
What's next? Starting in October, the Library's Older Adults program will partner with Seattle Parks and Recreation on Memory Cafe, a pilot program designed for residents of low-income and nonprofit housing with memory loss that engages participants with activities, snacks, music and socialization.
On a Monday afternoon in mid-August, a spacious courtyard on Seattle's First Hill is alive with flowers, music, dancing and quiet conversation. It is cloudy, but the mood is all sunshine at the 
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