Alzheimer's Poetry Project

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This is our first ever call for support. Please help continue our work.

Person-Centered Care Creativity Training

Your donation will help us bring this innovative pilot project to four nursing homes in Wisconsin. Person-Centered Care Creativity Training represents a new direction for us.

“What it has meant to me is the exploration of poetry, but also of my life. Creating a poem together is integral to who I am. When we were talking about the earth, how the earth feels and smells, to create the poem… I think about it all the time. It a whole different way of exploring emotionally what I really think about. That part has given me such energy. I am very grateful to be part of this.”  -Judy

We are taking the knowledge, we have learned in the past 20 plus years of working with more than 500 nursing homes in 36 states, serving more than 50,000 elders and people living with dementia and have created a unique curriculum and staff training. 

One example is that by using the person-centered care technique “BEING WELL KNOWN,” we collect information about resident’s life stories and current interests and preferences.

A life story goes beyond the typical social history, to provide detailed information about what makes this person unique. It goes beyond demographics such as marital status to cover what makes the person special. We take that information to help create a creativity care plan for the resident.

Project Goals: Social isolation is the main problem the training addresses. In 2017, the US Surgeon General declared social isolation a global epidemic amongst the older adult population. A National Institute of Health paper, “Social Isolation Among Older Adults in Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review,” identified risk factors for social isolation and several risks unique to those living in Long Time Care homes.

One finding was, “The concept of friendship and positive network within the care home was especially important to residents.” They state, “Cognitive impairment was commonly reported as a factor resulting in social isolation among Long Term Care residents, especially for residents living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.”