Many people are afraid of losing their memory as they grow older. But as the population ages, the number of people living with dementia is set to rise. This timely and revealing discussion will transform the way you think about memory loss and open your mind to new ways of dealing with dementia.

This talk will consider the connection between identity and memory and the experience of dementia. You’ll learn about exciting new forms of treatment for people with Alzheimer’s disease that use art, music and the environment to stir memories, enliven minds and improve the quality of life.

Join our guests, John Killick, writer and founder of Dementia Positive, and John Zeisel, founder of Hearthstone Alzheimer’s Family Foundation, which has developed an innovative and non-pharmacological approach to dementia care that is being adopted worldwide. Together they will help us to see how people with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders can have positive and fulfilling experiences.

This event is part of a series exploring identity and change. Further events on 11 September, 13 November, 11 December and 29 January.

_Speakers _

John Killick is a writer, researcher and broadcaster. He is co-founder of Dementia Positive, which encourages communication, consultation and creativity in work with people who are living with dementia

John Ziesel is the Founder Director of the Hearthstone Alzheimer’s Family Foundation in the US, which initiates and promotes the non-pharmacologic and holistic treatment of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

_Facilitator _

Anne Karpf is a writer, journalist and sociologist who contributes columns, features and reviews on social, cultural and political issues to a wide range of national newspapers and magazines. She wrote a regular column on the family for the ‘Guardian’ and is the author of ‘Doctoring the Media’, which examined the reporting of health and medicine on radio and television; ‘The War After: Living with the Holocaust’, a family memoir about the psycho-social effects of the wartime experiences of her parents, Polish-Jewish Holocaust survivors; and, most recently, ‘The Human Voice: The story of a remarkable talent’, which explores the role of the human voice in forming and communicating our sense of self and intimate bonds.