Research findings, media stories and articles to inspire new ways of thinking about people living with dementia.
Our soul purpose
Blog posts created and curated during the post-ranch years. More stories coming soon about our six real life pleasures.
A shortcut to the most recent blog posts
Our modern medical approach to dying can prolong suffering and strip us of our dignity. The author believes too many of us die poorly.
Reclaiming dignity in dying
Respected academic researchers conclude that one’s brain health is always affected by the health of the society in which one lives.
Are you flourishing?
Do We Simply Not Care About Old People? The question is rarely asked amid debates over budgets, policies, and staffing shortages.
Big picture question
The Dementia Justice Report – It’s not about moving on … It’s about moving forward by shedding light on dementia care realities.
Advancing human rights of older people
Welcome
This e-magazine features research findings, media stories and articles about the main themes which enriched our days together following Mother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Learn more
Rite de passage
Miss Ethel
As a young school teacher, she was known as “Miss Ethel.” But as her daughter, it was not until being with her in her final years that I learned from a former student how she had preferred to be addressed. Learn more
A Beautiful Voice
Memory Journals
Without journaling, the memory – at this point – would surely be quite “flat” and foggy, and there would certainly have been no thought of an e-magazine. Learn more
Intimate Excerpts…
Riane Eisler, JD
Riane Eisler, JD, is a social scientist, attorney, and author. The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future is considered a classic. Her newest book, Nurturing Our Humanity: How Domination and Partnership Shape Our Brains, Lives, and Future, is coauthored with anthropologist, Douglas P. Fry, PhD. Learn more
A Caring Economics
You're invited to read our story.
Find our story here: Big Pharma and the Constant Gardener
New Day!
Let’s be in touch – Newsletter
A Warm Respite – You are invited for coffee and a moment of respite – with mindful and soulful news direct to your inbox. Let’s be in touch. Join us!
Subscribe hereInfluencers making the news
Who are our influencers and Changemakers? Those professionals whose body of work resonated with our experience at the ranch are included here. Each is listed successively in the order in which their work came into our awareness during the course of being together at the ranch.
Learn moreWelcome, partnerism!
“Partnerism,” a word coined by Riane Eisler, JD, is a model for creating a more equitable, sustainable, and less violent world based on partnership rather than domination.
A new vocabulary for caringSee me – hear me
The messages in our meme series, “See me – hear me,” speak to the monumental need for societal change in our approach to caring for people with dementia.
Transforming thoughts
Video Series
Tuning in to Well-Being
Video Series
Tuning in to Well-Being
Real Life Pleasures
BREAKING NEWS
Research findings, media stories, and articles to promote creativity, discovery, and partnership in dementia care.
May truth be told!
Medicaid Advocates Say Critics Use Loaded Terms To Gain Edge in Congressional Debate
We put “loved ones” in nursing homes, underfund them as a society, and hope to never need one ourselves. – Dr. Louise Aronson, Geriatrician and Author, Elderhood Author: Phil Galewitz In Washington’s debate over enacting steep funding cuts to Medicaid, words are a central battleground. Many Republican lawmakers and conservative policy officials who want to scale back the joint state-federal health program are using charged language to describe it. Language [...]
Evidence-based health insights
You’re invited to experience a legacy of impact: The 2025 Food Revolution Summit
I look forward to the Food Revolution Summit every single year. For over a decade, this transformative online event has been a go-to source for cutting-edge, evidence-based insights about food and health. And this year, it’s bigger, bolder, and more powerful than ever. The never-before-seen 2025 Food Revolution Summit Docuseries: Healthy People, Healthy Planet is an eight-part exposé unveiling scientific discoveries you won’t find anywhere else. These health revelations are so new [...]
Meaning matters
Pope Francis’ death right after Easter sounds miraculous – but patients and caregivers often work together to delay dying
Pope Francis died after celebrating Easter with his congregants. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia Author: Michelle Riba, University of Michigan On the morning of Easter Monday, after his final public address the day prior, Pope Francis died at age 88, closing 12 years of leading the Catholic Church. He joins the phenomena of people “holding on” until after an anticipated date or event, such as the holidays or a birthday, before dying. [...]
Literary Companionship
How our simple gratitude list evolved into a “memory journal project”
Why journal? Many reasons! On both a personal and professional level, journaling is a powerful tool which can be life-changing. Why did I journal? The following post describes some of the phases involved in keeping the Memory Journal for my parents over a ten-year period. Context matters People have been journaling for centuries. In the 60's, Dr. Ira Progoff, a NYC psychologist began offering programs on the "intensive journal method." [...]
Music transcending division
How Music Can Bridge Generational Differences
Brandi Carlile & Joni Mitchell at the Newport Folk Festival in 2022 - WFUV Public Radio/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 By Marc Freedman, Trent Stamp | April 17, 2025 With so much driving us apart, music offers opportunities for solace and bridge-building. Intergenerational duets are having a moment. Paul Simon, 83, and Sabrina Carpenter, 58 years younger, cold-opened Saturday Night Live’s 50th Anniversary show performing “Homeward Bound” together. We saw Dick Van Dyke and [...]
This moral moment
US Senator Cory Booker just spoke for 25 hours in Congress. What was he trying to achieve?
"Moments like this require us to be more creative or more imaginative, or just more persistent and dogged and determined." - Senator Cory Booker Author: Bruce Wolpe, University of Sydney The Democrats have been under intense pressure to find an effective way to challenge US President Donald Trump without control of either chamber of Congress or a de facto opposition leader. They may have just found one. New Jersey [...]
Transforming Thoughts
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
Meet Our Dementia Influencers
That Significant Moment
That significant moment – that moment which quietly resonated with the lifestyle choices made during our interlude at the ranch. That moment which reaffirmed a desire to be together – and continue on. That moment of encounter with a simple idea – in an article, a book, a recording, a teleconference, a phone conversation. That moment which was consciousness-altering. That moment which, quite simply, rocked!
This page is dedicated to those professionals whose body of work resonated with our experience at the ranch. Each is listed successively in the order in which their work came into my awareness during the course of our being together.
Based on the contribution to culture change of these professionals, it is my hope that the lifework of each one may inspire others when most needed. We are all indebted to them for their leadership in transforming the culture of dementia care.
Challenging Notions – Our State of Belief
A Synopsis of Real Life Pleasures
Sense
of Place
Food
for Life
Mindful
Presence
Literary
Companionship
Music
as Medicine
Creating
Community
