New Wetlands Centre program aims to engage people with memory loss and their caregivers

By Audrey Posten | Times-Register

Starting Sept. 17, the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre in Marquette will offer a monthly creative engagement program for people with early- to mid-stage memory loss and their caregivers. 

Called SPARK! for its ability to “spark a moment together,” programs are designed to keep participants actively engaged in their communities through experiences that stimulate conversations, provide peer support and inspire creativity.

Wetlands Centre Director Alicia Mullarkey was introduced to SPARK! by a staff member from the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) in nearby Prairie du Chien, Wis. SPARK! was first established in Wisconsin and now includes a network of two dozen museums and cultural and nature centers across the region who provide programming based around cooking, art-making, drama/dance, music/song, poetry, storytelling and nature. 

“She thought it would be something good to start here. She’d been to other programs here and thought it was a nice location and engaging space for people,” Mullarkey said. “We do a lot of activities with younger kids and families, so it was appealing to me just because I feel like we’ve met a lot of people in our communities with memory loss, and I know from my own family how that can be really isolating. Connecting with other people is really important and so is having something to look forward to.” 

Mullarkey has spoken with, and even visited, other nature centers to discover how they administer the program. She and Wetlands Centre staff and volunteers also received Dementia 101 training. They learned about the best activities to offer individuals and the right questions to ask to engage them and make a joyful experience.

SPARK! is free and geared toward people living at home. They can reside in northeast Iowa or southwest Wisconsin.

“Our goal is to serve this whole area. Part of the reason we were able to get funding for the program is because we’re so close to Wisconsin and it serves Wisconsin,” Mullarkey said. “We’ve been working with ADRC dementia specialists to advertise the program. They are the ones on the ground doing visits with folks who are still living at home. It’s good to hear from them that this is a really needed resource in our communities.”

The Wetlands Centre will host the 90-minute program from 10 to 11:30 a.m. the third Tuesday of each month, year round. There will be a different theme each month, with a focus on hands-on activities.

“The goal is to do or create something with others, to get people’s minds going while having fun in the process, whether it’s making a piece of art or, like out here with the nature center, exploring the different wildflowers we have,” Mullarkey said. “We can think of a million different things to do, especially with the expertise around. I will be doing a lot of the programming, but part of the funding we got will help pay for artists to come in and do a painting class, or music and movement is a big part of it. ” 

Mullarkey likened SPARK! to the Wetlands Centre’s weekly Wetland Explorers - Nature Tots program for preschool-age kids.

“The goal is to use all of our senses and actively do things with our hands. That’s a lot of what the kids do too. It’s just a different demographic and a different way to approach it,” she remarked.

Mullarkey hopes SPARK! will enhance the quality of life for people with early- to mid-stage memory loss, as well as their caregivers, and help them connect with others through nature. 

“Nature is such a unifying thing,” she said. 

Pre-registration for the SPARK! program at the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre is requested, but not required. Call (563) 873-3537 to sign up or volunteer.