Community Reads: Winona Reads
The Winona Public Library along with Winona's Dementia Friendly Community Action Team (comprised of many local organizations) hosted various events around the community.
Several events and speakers took places at the Friendship Center (the local Senior Center) including: Dementia Friend information sessions; Still Alice: the movie; a community event featuring booths, min-memory cafes, and speaker Virginia Laken; a panel on dementia and hospice; the Leaf Artist ? Douglas McGill; and a lunch and learn with speaker Dr. Joseph Gaugler, PhD.
Some local organizations hosted other events: the Winona Public Library hosted two book discussions; Sugar Loaf Senior Living hosted a "Dementia Experience? activity; and the Minnesota Marine Art Museum hosted a memory caf?.
Additionally, the Winona Public Library gave out 25 Still Alice books to the community at the large community event at the Friendship Center.
269 participated
Our target audience is the Winona Community in general but also those with dementia and their caregivers. Community members will have new knowledge of how to work with people that have dementia and will also experience what someone with dementia goes through.
Those with dementia will experience programming that will help jog memories of the post and they will be able to converse with others and love ones.
Caregivers will learn about organizations and activities that can help both them and their loved one. They will also learn about the toll it can take on them.
We will provide surveys at the end of the programs to evaluate what attendees have learned and to find out if he or she is a member of the community, caregiver, or otherwise.
Our expected outcome was essentially to educate the public and caregivers about the resources around them that support those with dementia and memory loss. What the Dementia Friendly Action learned was that there is a need to help out our caregivers, create more resources, and provide additional education on the topic.
Question 1: The presenter was knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
Strongly Disagree: 8
Disagree: 0
Neutral: 5
Agree: 34
Strongly Agree: 75
Question 2: I learned something new or interesting.
Strongly Disagree: 8
Disagree: 5
Neutral: 16
Agree: 43
Strongly Agree: 46
Question 3: Our community currently has adequate awareness of the resources and organizations available to support people with dementia and their families.
Strongly Disagree: 11
Disagree: 19
Neutral: 33
Agree: 38
Strongly Agree: 16
Question 4: I, or someone I know, has dementia or memory loss.
Yes: 111No: 3
We used this information to learn that our community went away with takeaways and that we had knowledgeable speakers. We also learned we need to market and advocate for resources and services that are dementia friendly. The last question in the survey really solidifies the need for Winona to become a dementia-friendly community.
SELCO, Winona Public Library, Winona Friendship Place, Marine Art Museum, Sugar Loaf Senior Living