Exploring music, resilience and human connection
A first-of-its kind event, Disrupt Dementia invites people living with dementia and those who care about them to experience the power of music and storytelling to deepen human connections, increase resilience and the ability to live well with cognitive change.
This immersive and transformational non-fiction theater experience weaves film, music and first-person stories with groundbreaking research turning convention on its head by focusing on what we can all learn from people living with dementia. The performance features live music and storytelling from humanitarian and refugee Samite Mulondo, accompanied by Nate Silas Richardson and co-hosted by a pioneer in the field of authentic partnership research Dr. Jennifer Carson and millennial psychotherapist turned activist Kyrié Carpenter. The performance was created in collaboration with members of Momentia Seattle and is guided by an advisory team of people living with dementia, allies and advocates.
“When ChangingAging took on the AARP challenge to “Disrupt Aging,” we decided the way to go about it was to tackle our deepest rooted fears,” says Dr. Bill Thomas. “In our first performance, Life’s Most Dangerous Game, we face death head on.”
In our new performance, Disrupt Dementia, Samite and cast take audiences on a journey exploring our fear of losing our selfhood. “Instead of the fear, stigma and shame most of us associate with the phenomenon of dementia, we use the power of song and the voices and experiences of people living with dementia to reveal the resilience, human connection and wellbeing that are available to us all,” Thomas said.
“This is not your typical performance,” says Dr. Carson, an assistant research professor at the University of Nevada-Reno. “We’re not talking about “the cure” or even treating the symptoms of dementia. We’re learning from people living with dementia how to change our culture to open up new spaces and possibilities for all of us to live well.”
Letter to Recently Diagnosed Persons
Download a copy of the letter written by members of The Gathering Place, an early stage memory loss support group that is part of the Momentia community, for doctors to give to people who receive a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
– ChangingAging.org
Disrupt Dementia With Us — Part 2
The message written on our hearts is that ‘dementia friendly’ is ‘human friendly.’
– ChangingAging.org
Disrupt Dementia With Us — Part 1
Imagine people who are living with dementia are thriving in your community — what does it look like?
– ChangingAging.org
Disrupting dementia: Doctor aims for a human revolution among caregivers
“We have to address ageism as a significant problem in our culture,” Dr. Bill Thomas said in his warm, theatrical voice. He arrived at The Salvation Army’s Kroc Center on a bus as the “ChangingAging Tour” with a small group of musicians who used a stage to relate, on an emotional level, how to face dementia.
– South Bend Tribune
