MENASHA, Wis. (WFRV) – Fox Valley Memory Project hosted an open house event on Wednesday to present key details regarding a new program.

Memory Link, the new federally-funded resource navigation program uses an evidence-based approach to provide support for people with dementia and their caregivers.

This first-of-its-kind program is being funded by a $1 million grant from the Department of Health Services Administration for Community Living.

The program is designed to match the caregiver and person with dementia up with a resource navigator. The resource navigator will contact the pair on a regular basis to talk about their current situation. As the navigator learns more, they will assess unmet needs and create an action plan that could include connecting with community resources, trying new communication strategies, and implementing a home safety change.

“Right now we have 30 families that are enrolled in Memory Link and we have a lot more capacity to be able to help people. Fox Valley Memory Project has been around for ten years providing various different programs that really focus on social engagement to help people navigate the dementia journey,” said Manager of the Memory Link Program, Harper Smith.

The Memory Link service is neverending and as long as the caregiver and person with dementia want to continue the relationship with the Resource Navigator, the service will continue.

Memory Link will serve four counties in northeast Wisconsin. Officials say in order to provide high-quality resource navigation, persons living with dementia must live in their homes within Calumet, Outagamie, Waupaca, or Winnebago counties. Caregivers can live anywhere in Wisconsin, but as long as the person living with dementia resides in one of those four counties, they can participate in this new program.

“We can help with all sorts of things. If people have questions about managing behavioral symptoms at home, for example, if they’re having challenges with wandering with their loved one, we can talk to them about different safety plans, different things they can put in place to help deal with that, and really our goal is to help people stay in their home as long as they would like to,” added Smith.

The Memory Link program is free for everyone and officials are encouraging anyone within the four counties living with cognitive impairments to take advantage and sign up for this program.

For more information about the Fox Valley Memory Project’s Memory Link Resource Navigation program, click here.