Good Works Gazette – February 2026

Lakeside DayBreak

Some good works begin with an idea; others begin with a crisis. Lakeside DayBreak was born from the latter. Its founder, Elly Contreras, knows dementia not as an abstract medical condition, but as an intimate, life-altering reality. Elly and her husband have been snowbirds in Mexico since 2010 and have made a permanent home here at Lake Chapala since 2021. Their vision of retirement in paradise was upended when her husband was diagnosed with dementia.

As his condition progressed, Elly faced a decision no spouse ever wants to make, moving the person she loves into a care home designed to support their needs. It was devastating. And like so many caregivers confronting dementia, she discovered something equally painful, there was no clear roadmap, no coordinated support system, and no one to help her navigate the emotional, medical, and practical terrain she suddenly found herself on.

So, Elly did what changemakers often do when systems fail: she created what didn’t exist. Lakeside DayBreak emerged as a nonprofit dementia support organization, now in the process of becoming an official Asociación Civil in Mexico. The organization is designed to act as an umbrella of information, connection, and compassionate guidance. Rather than functioning as a single service, DayBreak links families to resources, educates the community, and advocates for approaches that can improve quality of life for people living with dementia and those who care for them.

Education is central to this work. Lakeside DayBreak provides accessible information about dementia risk factors and practical guidance on diet, exercise, competent care, and other interventions that may help slow cognitive decline. For families newly confronting a diagnosis, this knowledge can be both grounding and reassuring. Accurate information replaces fear with understanding and informed choice.

Connection, however, is just as vital. One of the organization’s most innovative and quietly powerful initiatives is Rincón de Memoria, a dementia-friendly dining program created in response to a common but rarely discussed loss: the disappearance of ordinary social life. For many couples and families living with dementia, going out to eat becomes stressful or impossible. Noise, crowds, rushed service, and confusion can quickly turn a simple meal into an ordeal.

Rincón de Memoria reimagines that experience. Hosted weekly at Casa Lule, and in the very near future at Chatterley’s in Chapala, the program offers a calm, welcoming, and distraction-reduced dining environment specifically designed for couples and families affected by dementia. Meals are served at a gentle pace, with dementia-aware staff and thoughtfully adjusted menus. Optional table activities are available for larger groups, helping reduce anxiety and encourage relaxed engagement. The result is something deceptively simple and deeply meaningful: the chance to share a meal together again. Lakeside DayBreak hopes this model will inspire other restaurants to adopt similar practices, expanding dementia-friendly spaces throughout the community.

Creative engagement is another key element of the DayBreak philosophy. In collaboration with poets, educators, and volunteers, the organization has supported arts-based programming that brings music, poetry, and gentle creative expression into care settings. These moments matter. Long after names fade, rhythm, language, and emotion often remain.

Lakeside DayBreak spearheaded an adult day care program at Casa Sonya II, in San Antonio Tlayacapan. Adult day care provides structured engagement for those living with dementia and much-needed respite for caregivers, a few hours that can make the difference between exhaustion and endurance.

The organization has also curated a dedicated dementia resource library at the Lake Chapala Society. The collection includes books on dementia and caregiving, dementia-appropriate puzzles and games, and a carefully assembled binder of local and online resources tailored to families living lakeside.

Elly’s long-term vision is informed by her roots in the Netherlands, where innovative “Memory Villages” have transformed dementia care by prioritizing dignity, autonomy, and community life. She hopes to one day help create a similar village here based on Montessori principles, one designed not around loss, but around continued belonging.

What makes Lakeside DayBreak remarkable is not just the scope of its projects, but the spirit behind them. This is care shaped by lived experience, by grief transformed into purpose, and by a belief that dementia should never mean isolation.

If you would like to support this powerful work, through donations, volunteering, or collaboration, you can find Lakeside DayBreak on Facebook or reach Elly directly at LakesideDayBreak@gmail.com.

Good Works Gazette features a different local group doing good work in our community each month. If you would like to nominate a group to be featured, please email Daria Hilton at daria_hilton@hotmail.com.