What an incredible conference. The New York City Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association held its annual Early Stage Conference on May 1st at the Roosevelt Hotel in NYC. 350 people – a blend of professionals in dementia care, family care partners and people in the early stages of dementia–were guided by a stable of clear and calm volunteers up to the grand ballroom and break out rooms.
I mainly talked about StoryCorps’ Memory Loss Initiative, sharing clips of that project, and results of our Center’s evaluation of it in the first year. I see this conference as the wave of things to come for the field. Usually, conferences in dementia care leave a sticky feeling on my tongue – that I’m talking about THEM. A conference in which people with dementia sit laughing and learning among care partners – professional and informal – takes that uneasy stickiness away. WE are in this together. WE aren’t so different. WE can learn from each other. Thanks to the NYC chapter for organizing such an incredible day.
