Playing with Memory: Lighting Up Dementia Care with Music, Art and a Very Special Poodle

When the mother of a former puppeteer for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began showing signs of dementia, author Linda Zimmer drew on her professional background as a Creative Arts Specialist to develop a "playful protocol" utilizing the arts and the natural world to help her mother cope with the challenges of this new and difficult terrain. Using animals, music, and art, she discovered that human beings maintain access to their emotions and creativity for their entire lifespans, even with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease.