June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and there is a new opportunity for people with memory loss, their care partners, family and friends to socialize in an environment that is accepting, supportive and nonjudgmental on Mercer Island.

Mo’s Pizza (2630 77th Ave. SE, Suite 112) will host an Alzheimer’s Cafe from 3-4:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning June 8. The gatherings provide a place where people with memory loss can enjoy a meal, connect, laugh and sing with others in their community.

Patrick Daugherty, a Mercer Island resident, will provide music for the cafe and lead an “oldies but goodies” sing-along. The only cost to those attending is the food that is ordered. Parking is also free, in the garage in the 77 Central building.

Organizer Carolyn Kelso said that it’s important for people not just with Alzheimer’s, but all types of dementia, to get out of the house and socialize, along with their caregivers, in a low cost, low pressure setting. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and it’s a growing problem as the population ages, Kelso said.

The concept of the Alzheimer’s Cafe, sometimes called Memory Cafe, began in the Netherlands in 1997, Kelso said. The first in the U.S. was formed in Sante Fe in 2008, and they have rapidly grown since then. The Mercer Island cafe is the 10th in the greater Seattle area. It was organized by a group of volunteers, some of whom work in the senior provider industry.

“Not everyone can afford memory assistance care,” Kelso said. “This is a nice mental break in an easy situation.”

Volunteers will be at the cafe to hand out educational materials and information about other opportunities to socialize.

The city’s Youth and Family Services department is a sponsor, along with the Alzheimer’s Association, Mercer Island Clergy Association, Capability Homecare, Careage Home Health and Jan Zager Law.

For more, contact Kelso at 206-356-0271 or carolynkelso@comcast.net.