Inspired by Seattle Momentia, and the Memory Café movement around the world, our Whidbey Island Momentia group was born out of the need for dementia-friendly support in our island community. We offer gatherings of fun, support, connection, and education. We are a group of volunteers, many of us having a personal connection to dementia, wanting to support the philosophy that living our best life with dementia means finding moments of joy, staying connected, and utilizing resources to help with the daily challenges and tough decisions of the dementia journey.

Whidbey Island Momentia began when COVID put everything online, which is how we learned about the program of support called Memory Café. In 2023, we started Memory Café on Whidbey Island. We soon added educational events called Let’s Talk Dementia. In 2025, we started offering a Caregiver Support Group with a Reminiscence Group for care receivers. In 2026, we received the BOLD Initiative Grant to be Trusted Messengers to deliver Brain Health and Dementia Awareness talks to the community.

We are listed in the Memory Café Alliance (MCA) national directory. We use the MCA best practices training and attend their idea exchange. We are a part of Dementia Friendly WA Learning Collaborative conversations.

We are grateful to the Oak Harbor First United Methodist Church for supporting us, letting us use their facilities, and providing assistance with materials and resources. We also enjoy collaborating to create community events with Northwest Regional Council (NWRC) and Island Senior Resources (ISR).

Our programs are ever-developing, and we welcome people who want to share their talents: musicians, artists, volunteers in a variety of capacities. They are invaluable resources who remind us why community connection is so important.