Gary Glazner
The mission of the Alzheimer's Poetry Project is to facilitate the creativity of people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Research shows significant emotional and psychological benefit from performing and creating poetry, which allows access to the creative part of one’s identity. We have worked in many languages and cultures and led programming in 36 states and nine countries.
Alzheimer's Poetry Project (APP) is an innovative non-pharmacological intervention for people living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementia. We have worked in many languages and cultures and led programming in 36 states and internationally in Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, South Korea and Turkey. The goal of the APP is using the performance and creation of poetry to facilitate creative self-expression, social and intellectual stimulation, and respectful acceptance and valued inclusion of people living with AD due to Alzheimer’s disease or other neurodegenerative disorders. Research shows significant emotional and psychological benefit from performing and creating poetry, which allows access to the creative part of one’s identity. We work with their care partners, healthcare workers, educators, and students to perform and create poems. We do not set boundaries in our beliefs in what is possible for people with dementia to create. By saying to people living with memory loss that we value you and your creativity, we are saying we value all members of our community.
