FORGET MEMORY BLOG

Finally.  I had a day (sitting in my hotel room in LA) to just think and research and write about all the things that happened in the Think Tank at UWM.   Here are my thoughts about core themes and concepts that came out of the incredible mix of people who gathered in Milwaukee May 13-15, 2009.  We’re in the process of doing a white paper on the proceedings (thank you Amy, our professional writing intern!) so you can find them soon at the Center on Age & Community’s website.

*the concept of “gerogogy” came up several times.  As did the idea that “activities” should focus on learning, not “doing” or keeping people busy or “occupied.”  This made me think about the fact that the medical industrial complex overshadows any other framework in late life.  Is it even possible to grow old without an assumed calculus of measurement?  of how successfully we are aging?  of how intact our cognition is?  The arts might be part of a liberation movement for elders – a radical reframing from the calculus of health/therapy/treatment to expression and learning.  From being acted upon  and treated toward acting/agency.

*the concept of enchantment came up – I confess it’s a word that I use in trying to describe just what I hope we can do to “activities” like “sort poker chips” or “sort silverware.”   We teased out the meaning of “enchantment”…saying that it meant making it magical – which I interpreted as infusing it with mystery and meaning for multiple groups of people.  One of the highlights of the think tank for me was the transformation of the activity of “sorting silverware” into an international, intergenerational communal table project in which elders designed the invitation, the meal, grew the food, and set the table.  The meal was then shared through the internet with sites doing the same activity across the world.  Now that is enchantment.

*We talked a lot about a “model” of a project that envisioned many entry points for different groups/types of people, and exit points to share the project with multiple audiences.   Thus “sorting silverware” became a 3-6 month international project.

*We got stuck several times on the notion that we can’t really transform (let alone “radically”) activities in LTC without transforming the health care system.  SO much of how we see/envision activities is bound up in how we pay for and value (or devalue) them.  There was a groundswell here for creating a media campaign to rebrand aging to insist on dignity (satire was the approach we thought might intrigue multiple generations to join the fight) of elders regardless of disability.

*at the end of the day I think the biggest impact of the Think Tank was simply bringing really smart, savvy, and community-inclined artists together with leaders in the field of aging services, caregivers, and youth and elders.  There were several moments when I witnessed mouths agape at ideas that clearly rocked someone’s world.  It’s rare we get to see the world through different eyes.  And the view can be so illuminating…

* in sum sum then…people with dementia and elders in general can grow, learn, be creative, engaging people.  And those without dementia can learn and grow from sharing their company.