About Old Friends Club
Old Friends Club is a Network of social respite programs that offer social connection and engaging activities for individuals living with dementia, while providing care partners with affordable, dependable respite. The programs are offered by a network of organizations serving people in their own communities and beautifully filling a great and growing need.
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As a Network, Old Friends Club promotes the freedom to choose where to live, to engage in meaningful activities, and to stay connected, even with the challenges of cognitive changes. Old Friends Club can be a foundation of a system change, promoting understanding about dementia, which leads to kindness and expertise to those affected by dementia, and move to destigmatizing dementia.
Our mission
Old Friends Club empowers communities to cultivate joy in the lives of adults with cognitive challenges and nourish the well-being of family caregivers.
Our vision
Our vision is a society where people affected by dementia are included, respected, supported, and have the resources they need to live well.
Our Values
Community
Tapping the power of community and celebrating shared experiences.
Equity
Committed to promoting inclusion and equity regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, economic background, faith, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Inclusion
Reaching into forgotten corners to overcome isolation.
Belonging
Creating an environment of trust where each person feels safe to be themselves.
Respect
Each person knows they are valued, and their strengths are seen and appreciated. This extends to honoring the unique capacity of each community to know how to best serve their people.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
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Old Friends Club is committed to serving the community and promoting inclusion and equity regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, economic background, faith, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or physical, or mental ability.
Karen Koenig
Karen Koenig is the Founder of Old Friends Club. She has supported people living with dementia and their caregivers for 12 years and is grateful for the difference Old Friends Club has made in many lives. The toolkit she developed is used by a growing number of organizations to start and operate a social respite program for their communities.
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Karen is an advocate by nature, with a desire to promote connected, supportive communities. She holds a bachelors in Community Psychology from the University of Washington, and Certificates in both Gerontology and Nonprofit Management from UW Professional and Continuing Education. Now she gardens and bakes, is learning woodworking and wood carving, and has ambitions to become a Steward with the Washington Native Plant Society when the opportunity arises. She lives in Redmond, WA with her partner and OFC co-founder Bob and their little labradoodle friend, Luna.