Creating a Dementia-Friendly Community in the Fox Cities

Susan McFadden is a nationally known leader in the dementia-friendly community movement. Fox Valley Memory Project, the nonprofit she co-founded, is a well-known model for organizations seeking to overcome the stigma and resulting social isolation often associated with dementia. Her presentation will describe how Fox Valley Memory Project enriches the lives of persons dealing with a condition that can render them invisible in their communities. Instead, Fox Valley Memory Project enables them, their care partners, and friends to continue to experience joy and meaning through its many services and programs such as memory cafés. This presentation will highlight new ways of thinking about dementia that view it not merely as a brain disease, but rather as a progressive condition associated with many challenges as well as opportunities for continued meaningful engagement with others. Susan’s book on dementia-friendly communities offers a brief overview of current thinking about dementia, lifts up the voices of people living with this condition who advocate for inclusion and acceptance, describes the important role of friends who accompany persons through the ups and downs of life with dementia, and highlights the ways the arts and spiritual connections enhance the lives of people with dementia.

Register for the live virtual event through Zoom HERE! The event will be livestreamed to the Fox Cities Book Festival’s Facebook page and a recording will be available to watch after.