Connect with others at the first dementia cafe in Thunder Bay, Ont.

For the first time in theLakehead,a not-for-profit organization in partnership with the Lakehead University's Center for Education and Research on Aging and Health and theAlzheimerSociety of Thunder Bay arejoining forces to open the first dementia cafe this Sunday, March 18.

Starting from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Urban Abbey, located near the corner of AlgomaStreet North and Red River Street, will be hosting their first dementia cafe as an opportunity for people with dementia to come together in a safe environment with their family and friends by their side.

Director with the Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health at Lakehead University, Elaine Wiersmasaid the idea came to herduring a discussion with Scotland Morrison at the Urban Abbey and since then, the pair have been busy recruiting volunteers and training them for Sunday's event.

"The volunteers will be doing a range of different things from greeting people at the door to hosting tables to really make sure that everyone whose coming through the door is connecting with someone," Wiersmasaid.

Engaging in social justice issues

The Urban Abbey is a "24 hour community hub," according to the co-founder, Scotland Morrison.

"It is a modern reinterpretation of a community that takes ... an old church building and re-imagines it and renovates it ... for the purpose of the community," Morrison said.

He said officials at the Urban Abbey have been in continuosdiscussions with the City of Thunder Bay to determine what the community needs and how they can help.

"We offer three meals everyday at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.," Morrison continued, "we run a THRIVE program ... which help women who are struggling with opiate useordrug addiction who have children or who are about to have children ...we have also done transitional housing ... and also sometimes help young people who have fallen through the cracks."

All services at the Urban Abbey are free of charge, which is why the not-for-profit centre hosts concerts, art classes and other community events as a way to raise funds.

Dementia cafe every Sunday

The first Dementia Cafe opens at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 18 and every Sunday after that, Morrison said.

Funded through volunteers and donations, Sunday's Dementia Cafe is intended to be a social environment however Wiersma said anyone who has questions about the disease will have the opportunity to receive the support they need.

"The AlzhiemersSociety of Thunder Bay will be there with different resources and opportunities to connect with some of the staff," Wiersma said.

She said a band has also been booked for the event and encourages residents of Thunder Bay to drop by with their friends or family.

"Most people will say nobody else can understand ... what's happening inside my brain," Wiersma said, "and one of the most important things that we actually find with people with dementia is the opportunity to connect with others," and Sunday's Dementia Cafe is intended for exactly that.