Hummingbird Memory Cafe

06/06/2026

06/06/2026

🧠✨ What if nearly half of dementia cases could be delayed or prevented?

For years, many people believed dementia was simply a part of getting older.

Today, science offers a more hopeful message.

The 2024 Lancet Commission concluded that up to 45% of dementia cases may be linked to risk factors we can influence throughout our lives.

No, there are no guarantees.

But there is hope.

And there is action.

Six habits that support a healthier brain:

💤 Prioritize sleep

🚶 Move your body daily

❤️ Manage blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol

👂👓 Protect your hearing and vision

🥗 Eat a brain healthy diet

👥 Stay socially connected

The goal is not perfection.

The goal is progress.

Take a walk.

Call a friend.

Eat one more serving of vegetables.

Schedule that hearing test.

Spend time with people you love.

Go to bed a little earlier.

Small choices may not feel powerful in the moment, but over time they become the foundation of brain health.

As someone who works with families affected by dementia every day, I find this message incredibly empowering:

There is more we can do than we once believed.

💜

“The future of your brain is shaped not by one decision, but by the small choices you make every day.”

— Meri L. Gaumond

📚 Source: The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care (2024)

dementiaawareness cognitivehealth carepartners brainhealthmatters mediterraneandiet agingwell dementiacare prevention healthylifestyle

06/06/2026

✨🦽✨

Image description: A square graphic features a bright orange and yellow background with a tropical floral pattern and scattered sparkles. In the center is an image of a black power wheelchair with purple accents, outlined in white.

Large teal-green text with a dark blue shadow appears above and below the wheelchair. The text reads: “A wheelchair should not cost more than a car.”

06/06/2026

June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, and this month we're beginning a series on sensory changes in dementia, starting with hearing changes.

Hearing difficulties in dementia are often less about the ears and more about how the brain processes sound. What may look like not listening or hearing loss is often a difficulty with processing and understanding the words being heard.

Because the brain is already working harder to process sound, busy environments can add another layer of challenge. In places like restaurants, churches, or group settings, every sound competes for attention, making conversations more difficult to follow. Filtering one voice from many can be exhausting, and the ability to process sounds may vary from day to day or even hour to hour.

How have you experienced hearing changes after a dementia diagnosis?

06/06/2026

06/05/2026

Creating awareness for National Accessibility Week!
If you are sighted or own a business you may never have considered this barrier.

It should never be about looks, it should always be about dignity.

Picture this.

You’re standing at the counter, ready to pay for your new phone.
You tap your card.
The screen flashes: Insert card.

So you follow the prompts, choose your account, enter your PIN, confirm the amount, press OK. Easy, right?

Now imagine you can’t see the screen, or your hands tremble from Parkinson’s.
Maybe you’re a senior whose eyes struggle in the bright store lights or you get overwhelmed with tech.

What was effortless a moment ago now means one of two things:
You leave without making your purchase, or you hand your bank card and your PIN to a stranger to do for you.

A terminal with no physical buttons to push, no tactile markers.
Just a smooth, shiny screen that “looks” modern has created a barrier instead of removing barriers.

The old keypads worked for everyone. Colour-coded buttons, raised symbols, on the Enter, Correction and Cancel buttons. There is also a tactile dot on the #5 so one can navigate the pin pad. These small details gave independence, privacy and dignity to everyone.

When function is replaced by fashion, we quietly close the door on someone’s ability to participate.

Accessibility isn’t about looks. It’s about dignity and having independence.
If your payment terminals still have buttons, keep them. That’s what accessibility looks like and that’s how everyone feels welcome.

“Having a disability doesn’t change who we are, it changes our interactions with the world. “ – Gina Martin.

DiverseAbilities.ca



Photo description
The photo on the right is a digital, flat screen payment terminal and the photo on the left is a manual terminal with physical buttons.

05/21/2026

🎶 Arts-in-Medicine is Looking for Musicians 🎶
The Arts-in-Medicine Program is seeking professional musicians to join our team beginning this fall semester!
We are especially looking for musicians who play classical guitar, harp, or cello.

Our musicians play an important role in creating a healing environment at UNMH and the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, bringing moments of comfort, connection, and calm to patients, family members, and staff each day. 💙

If you are interested in this meaningful opportunity, please contact Program Coordinator Melissa Sandoval at [email protected] for more information.
Help us bring the healing power of music into healthcare spaces.

05/21/2026

Are you working on an original project that touches on dementia? APPLY NOW!