"Sweet Readers began with a heartwarming interaction between three generations of women determined to make the most of a challenging situation. In 2010, my mother, Dorothy ("GD"), moved to the city following an early-stage Alzheimer's diagnosis. Just as my parents read to me as a child, my daughter Sophie began reading to her grandmother. At age ten, Sophie became a lead reader, engaging GD and 15 other adults in a social adult day program with poetry, art, and music.
Observing the profound impact on both Sophie and the adult participants, I consulted a geriatrician who encouraged us to build a training program based on Sophie's interactions. We collaborated with artists, educators, and medical professionals to develop a curriculum, launching our first pilot at the American Folk Art Museum in April 2011.
Within six months, we expanded to MoMA, The Jewish Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. These partnerships helped us refine our methodology, focusing on the power of community and intergenerational engagement. We tested our model across diverse socioeconomic settings, partnering with schools and eldercare centers to support participants with varying stages of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
