Curative Connections West – Yesteryear Village

Yesteryear Village is the Reminiscent Dementia Care program of Curative Connections, a Green Bay nonprofit that has offered day programs for adults with memory loss, dementia, disabilities and brain injury since 1948. Modeled on programs in the Netherlands and Canada, it is a large-group dementia program set in a nostalgic environment reflecting the 1950s, 60s and 70s, with a diner, passenger train car, village square, barbershop, auto garage and back porch. Members can move freely and safely between spaces, with sock hops in the diner, haircuts in the barbershop and a car to tinker with in the garage. A reviewer calls it a caring place for loved ones with memory issues. It is certified by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services as an Adult Day Care Center (ADCC) for up to 60 participants.

The program is designed around reminiscence, recreating settings from the years when participants have their clearest memories. Each room is functional, so members can choose activities and enjoy their day independently, from sock hops in the diner to haircuts in the barbershop and tinkering in the auto garage. Curative Connections also offers caregiver support groups and specialized transportation in Brown County.

Yesteryear Village is at 1538 Western Ave, Green Bay, WI 54303. The program runs Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Curative Connections lists the cost as $7 per hour. To arrange a tour, call (920) 593-3535 (per the website) or the center at (920) 494-3385.