Former Geneva alderman Sam Hill takes lead in memory cafe

GENEVA – Sam Hill was diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia four years ago, but he wants you to know he's still Sam Hill.

“I’m feeling great,” Hill said. “I’m playing racquetball. I go swimming 10 laps. But I don’t drive any more. … I did take a written test and a driving test. … It was not real good for me on driving.”

As a 1st Ward alderman in Geneva for 12 years, Hill, 83, is an institution.

But now Hill has become an institution in a different direction, serving as the impetus to start the Memory Cafe Fox Valley three years ago, said his friend and co-organizer Jim King.

A memory cafe – a place where people with mild to moderate dementia can meet and socialize – is a concept credited to Dutch psychiatrist Dr. Bere Miesen, who introduced it in 1997.

“It’s safe and confidential,” King said. “Nobody is judging them. They’re all in the same boat. They can say whatever they need to or want to. They don’t have to be careful.”

King said when a person gets Alzheimer’s, their friends tend to drift away. So not only do they have to deal with memory loss, they also have the loss of companionship. A memory cafe helps establish new relationships.

Hill noticed that when his wife, Carolyn, came home from a support group, she was more upbeat and energized.

"Plus, I had a neighbor who was involved in AA and … he was telling me about AA," Hill said. “I got all these people with Alzheimer’s. Couldn’t we maybe have a group meeting and do some things as a group? Let’s see where that leads us.”

He called King and suggested they talk about getting a group together. Now, 20 to 30 people with dementia and their caregivers regularly attend.

“It’s a great opportunity for them to meet other people and enjoy a day away from the television set,” Hill said.

In addition to talking, the socializing encompasses playing board games, card games and bingo with prizes.

“We played Trivial Pursuit,” King said. “A dementia person won – not even the caregiver.”

This group also goes on field trips, King said.

“Sam is genius at thinking of places for us to go,” King said.

The group went to a Kane County Cougars game, to the Japanese Garden at the Fabyan Forest Preserve, to the Butterfly House at Peck Farm Park in Geneva, on a boat ride on the Fox River and to Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Hill said.

What is different about this particular memory cafe is that it is independent and not affiliated with any memory care facility, hospital or church, King said.

“We are independent, self-funded,” King said. “All the memory cafes in Illinois have associations and sponsorships – until you get to us. … Occasionally, out of the blue, somebody sends us some money. ‘Add this to your treasury.’”

King and his wife, Barbara, Hill, John McNeely of Batavia and a fifth person who left worked together to start the Memory Cafe Fox Valley.

Their memory cafe meets from 10 to 11:30 a.m. the fourth Wednesday at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave., Batavia.

And what else is perfect is going to nearby Apple Villa for lunch after the meetings, King said.

“They have a room for us,” King said.

For information about joining the Memory Cafe Fox Valley, call Barbara King at 630-879-2263 or visit www.memorycafefoxvalley.com.

Donations can be made by check to Memory Cafe Fox Valley, care of John McNeely, 311 N. Batavia Ave., Batavia, IL 60510.