I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve. - Albert Schweitzer, Missionary Nothing is more revealing than movement. - Martha Graham, Dancer All real living is meeting. - Martin Buber, Philosopher You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes. - A. A. Milne, Author (Winnie the Pooh) The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. - William James, Philosopher Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essayist If someone listens, or stretches out a hand, or whispers a kind word of encouragement, or attempts to understand a lonely person, extraordinary things begin to happen. - Loretta Girzartis, Author They invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything. - Bil Keane, Cartoonist In American life, we think we are most free when we don't need anybody. Exactly what Alzheimer's represents is absolute dependency - That's what we all need to learn - how deeply we need one another. - Stanley Hauerwas, Professor of Theological Ethics Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World. - Christopher Columbus, Explorer A good traveler is one who does not know where he is going to, and a perfect traveler does not know where he came from. - Lin Yutang, Writer Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat . . .We must find each other. - Mother Theresa, Saint |
Everyone, regardless of their degree of mental sharpness,
needs companionship, not only to physically survive
but also to live emotionally.
Naomi Feil and Gladys Wilson,
from There Is a Bridge
Memory Bridge creates programs that connect people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias to family, friends, and other people in their local community. We also create programs that reveal to the general public the depths of memory that dementia does not erase.
Our goal is to create a global community of people who, like us, are learning to listen to people with dementia for what they have to teach us about our own humanity.
Since our establishment in 2004, we have:
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Created an interview guide (PDF) used by the Library of Congress Veteran’s History Project |
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Designed and implemented an award-winning curriculum and school program called the Memory Bridge Initiative |
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Produced the PBS documentary There Is a Bridge |
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Launched an art exhibit called Mapping Lives: the Art of Listening |
Our action directives:
Educate
Teach children how to communicate with people with Alzheimer's and related dementias in emotionally meaningful ways.
Create
Create world-class educational products and resources that transform our currently reductive assumptions about persons with dementia.
Build communities
Establish an internet-supported community of persons around the world invested in learning how to communicate with people with dementia in emotionally meaningful ways.
Collaborate
Develop relationships with local and national schools, museums, and other educational, medical, social services organization, etc. to create curricula and to organize events, exhibitions, and programs that support our educational mission.
Advocate
To raise awareness about aspects of personal identity and memory that Alzheimer's disease does not extinguish.
Philosopher and theologian Martin Buber reminds us that “All real living is meeting.” We hope you will join us on a journey of meetings. There is a bridge.