RALEIGH, N.C. — Wake County residents with memory loss are able to find support and engage in conversation through free care kits.

When the Wake County Public Library system decided to put together memory care kits for people with memory loss, Lisa Levine was called for guidance pretty quickly.

Levine works at the Dementia Alliance of North Carolina and helped curate the kits in hopes they would spark memories and conversation.

“They are all a little bit different because they are themed, but we have a lot of wonderful, beautiful books," Levine said. "This one is the Arts Visual Encyclopedia. These are so colorful and so much fun to look at.”

Memory loss has also touched Levine’s life personally, as her dad has Alzheimer’s disease. 

“My dad is really a football fan. He played for the University of Arkansas, and he lives and breathes football, but all sports, so I think he would enjoy this baseball one," Levine said. "People with cognitive impairment, especially Alzheimer's disease, tend to forget recent memories, but they remember older memories. People like Pete Rose, he would still remember and be able to tell me stories about that.”

The kits support both those with memory loss, and their caregiver, in hopes that families can create special moments. 

“Instead of focusing on what they can’t do anymore, we focus totally on what they still can do," Levine said.

There are 20 different themed kits. All kits are free and can be checked out for six weeks at a time. You can reserve them online on the county library’s website.