Library offers kits to help with memory loss

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 17, 2026

The Oak Harbor Library is offering a unique set of tools to help people who are suffering from memory loss.

Jane Lopez-Santillana, the manager of the Oak Harbor Library, said the decision to supply these kits came after receiving requests from multiple community members. Once the Oak Harbor Library received a grant from Puget Sound Energy dedicated to providing extra support in the community, it decided to put the majority of the funds towards purchasing memory care kits.

This program isn’t new to the Sno-Isle libraries, though it is new to Island County, Lopez-Santillana explained. Both Lake Stevens Library and the Sno-Isle Library on Wheels offer the memory kits as well.

The memory care kits have a variety of purposes, said Kate Matwychuck, the Oak Harbor library associate, who has worked in tandem with Lopez-Santillana with research as well as the implementation. They support people with dementia through multi-sensory activities designed to stimulate memory and connection, Matwychuk said, while also providing caregivers with information to care for their loved one. It also identifies resources in the community for families affected by dementia, she said.

Memory kits, unlike books which can be passed between libraries, are location specific, catered to the community it fulfills, with targeted content hoping to spark memories of life on the island, including farming, pets and ball sports.

“And so we just see this as another way to support a community need that’s been identified and brought to us. And another way to explore ways the library can be relevant to all of the community,” Lopez-Santillana said.

Oak Harbor Library’s current collection of 6 kits are borrowed from Lake Stevens Library. There are early, middle and advanced stage kits, each designed to meet the user at their appropriate level. Librarians at the Lake Stevens library partnered with Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging to craft the kits and make them as impactful as possible, Matwychuk explained.

Lopez-Santillana said community feedback is a crucial part of this pilot program. She encourages users to stop by the library front desk and offer their advice after using a kit. Once the staff at Oak Harbor Library return the kits to Lake Stevens Library, they will be curating their own permanent kits that resemble the pilot kits’ themes and other topics that the community suggests. Some of these themes might include military life, farm life and marine life, Matwychuk offered.

Most kits will include a book or two that are specific to helping with memory, a pamphlet about memory loss and memory care, and varying fidgets, puzzles or other tactile activities aimed at helping summon memories. For example,a sewing kit may include a lace-up board, Lopez-Santillana said.

Matwychuck said the project is personal for her.

“Members of my family have suffered from dementia, and I witnessed first-hand how frustrating this experience can be both for the person with the diagnosis and family who care for them,” she said. “I don’t think my family’s experience is that unusual.”

Without resources, family caregivers wind up feeling disconnected from their loved one. The added frustration, sadness, and lack of direction often causes isolation and loneliness for both caregivers and people living with dementia, she said. The kits offer a solution for connection, so both parties can feel supported, Matwychuk added.

“I was really happy to be a part of this initiative, knowing the kits will likely help a lot of folks in the community,” she said.

The kits can be checked out using a library card and can be kept for up to three weeks. Holds cannot be placed on the kits and they will not show up on Oak Harbor library’s online catalogue. They can be dropped off at any library in Island or Snohomish county and the kits will be delivered back to Oak Harbor.