By Mary Fridley Dementia is not easy on anyone. Does it help that dementia continues to be framed by a dehumanizing “tragedy narrative” perpetuated in a self-serving fashion by a biomedical industry that has few if any answers? Definitely not. But the rest of us – including the “us”…
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By Mary Fridley Happy New Year and best wishes to the agebuzz community for a healthy, peaceful, and creative 2024! As anyone who has read my column knows, I love to share articles, blogs, or interviews that help me grow. This was definitely my response after reading “Speak,…
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By Mary Fridley During a recent conversation with a member of the Reimagining Dementia Coalition (which I lead), Jennifer (not her real name) shared her frustration with how people related to her after recently being diagnosed with early-onset dementia. At one point in the conversation, she asked, “How is…
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By Mary Fridley Last month I had the pleasure of attending a conference hosted by the British Society of Gerontology (BSG), which invited me to present on the social therapeutic approach I’ve used in the creation of The Joy of Dementia (You Gotta Be Kidding!). Social therapeutics is a…
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By Mary Fridley For this month’s blog, I’m going to share some writings that I’m inspired by these days. Since we can all use some uplift and inspiration, I thought I’d share them for your reading (and living) enjoyment. I recently had the pleasure of discovering Kitchen Table…
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As I look back on 2022, I am especially grateful for being part of an international community of people who are doing so much to promote growth, joy, and community at a time when all seem in short supply. As those of you who’ve read my columns know, I am…
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Mary Fridley is on the faculty at the East Side Institute in NYC, co-creator and leader of The Joy of Dementia (You Gotta Be Kidding!), and coordinator of Reimagining Dementia: A Creative Coalition for Justice. An accomplished teacher and workshop leader, Mary practiced social therapy for 12 years and uses the social therapeutic approach as a teacher and workshop leader. She is the author or co-author of several articles and chapters on the Joy of Dementia, including a chapter that appears in The Applied Improvisation Mindset published in August 2021. Additionally, Mary is a guest blogger for agebuzz and a playwright and theater director. She makes her living as a non-profit fundraising consultant. She can be contacted at [email protected] .
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