Poydrus Homes Poydras created a partnership with the Zeus animal shelter to bring dogs into their residence where the dogs could roam like in a real home. The residents engaged with the dogs, groomed them, and made no-sew blankets and ‘Adopt Me’ bandanas in getting the dogs ready for adoption into a permanent home.

University of Chicago Art Program A program created by the University of Chicago Medicine Memory Center and GoldMind Arts mailed over 400 curated art kits to persons living with dementia and their care partners. The kits include art materials and instructions to help people engage in meaningful art projects in their own homes.

2022 Innovator Poydras Home ISH is supporting a new project developed by the Poydras Home of New Orleans: Generation 2 Generation Baking involves elders, children, and animals at a local shelter. A small group of persons living with dementia from the Poydras Home community will join together with a small class of young children from Isadore Newman Childcare Center.

2020 Windrush Farm, Andover, MA Windrush Farm hosted small groups of persons living with dementia for weekly visits to engage with a horse. Over a series of weeks, participants are guided by a trained horseperson to get to know “their” horse by name and for the horse to get to know them. Participants groom, saddle, bridle and walk their horse until they turn over the horse to a person who is living with autism to ride around the indoor ring. This program creates relationships and provides opportunities for helping others and feeling a sense of purpose.

Innovation Programs Grants I’m Still Here is dedicated to helping persons living with dementia to flourish by supporting nonpharmacological engagement programs. ISH provides seed funding for innovative programs that demonstrate effectiveness in utilizing the I’m Still Here principles which underscore the importance of engaging persons living with dementia and their care partners in all aspects of community and family life. I’m Still Here invites applications from individuals, community organizations, nonprofits and others for support. Seed funding may be awarded for up to $10,000 for new innovative programs which typically fall within two categories as described here. The Arts Based on its decades-long success creating innovative arts and cultural programs for persons living with dementia, I’m Still Here recognizes the value of all the arts in engaging persons living with dementia. As John Zeisel wrote in his ground-breaking book, I’m Still Here: A New Philosophy of Alzheimer’s Care, “Art touches and engages the brain in a more profound way than other activities. Arts exist in every community, such as a local historical society, community theatre, school play or local musical group. Community Programs A fundamental principle of I’m Still Here is engagement in life, in family, in community. Engagement in community provides meaning, dignity, and acceptance for persons living with dementia, their care partners and the community at large. I’m Still Here supports programs that embrace the local community as a way to help individuals facing Alzheimer’s and dementia. Community theaters, parks, libraries, animal shelters, county fairs, fruit orchards and many other venues can be places for engaging activities that serve those living with dementia and help reduce fear of dementia and related stigmas.

2021 Innovators The Town of Arlington, (MA) offered Virtual Yoga Classes to engage persons living with dementia at home and their care partners in weekly online yoga classes led by instructors with specialized dementia training. The program helped to reach shut-ins during the COVID years and made the classes available to neighboring towns and cities.