Words from Our Experts

Interview with Laurette Klier of Nana's books By Mare Ruland, Simon Health Some work doesn’t just create resources — it reshapes how we understand connection itself. That’s what became clear in my conversation with Laurette Klier, founder of Nostalgia Works (formerly Nana’s Books). What began as a personal response to her mother-in-law’s experience with Lewy Body dementia has grown into a nationally recognized body of work spanning books, digital media, and relational reading

Living with Dementia Advocate, Product Tester and Reviewer, Dementia Coach, Public Speaker, Mentor, Consultant, Educator, Trustee By Daniel Brown I sat down with Michael Booth last week. Michael is on our advisory board, lives with a rare form of young-onset dementia called diffused atrophy dementia, and has, against the advice of every clinician he spoke to, written a murder mystery novel. He cared for his mother through a decade of dementia before being diagnosed himself at

Interview with Nancy Nelson and Kat Hartley of dangle & dot By Mare Ruland, Simon Health “Dare to Do Dementia Differently” When I sat down with dangle & dot, it became immediately clear why their message resonates so deeply within the dementia community. At the heart of their work is one powerful belief: a dementia diagnosis does not erase identity, dignity, creativity, or purpose. Our conversation moved through advocacy, caregiving, humor, grief, and resilience — all centere

An Interview with Nikki Jardin of Mirador Magazine Welcome to this special edition of the Simon Cares newsletter! For Nikki Jardin, the journey into the world of dementia was a lesson in how the world "shrinks" when it isn’t designed for you. Her aunt Rebecca was a woman of immense intellect: a trained biologist, pet sitter, and community volunteer who lived for the pages of Smithsonian and National Geographic. But after her diagnosis of young-onset Alzheimer’s, Nikki noticed

An Interview with Diane Chew, a certified life coach, social media inspiration, dementia caregiver and creator of The JoyQuest Welcome to this special edition of the Simon Cares newsletter! Mare sat down with Diane Chew, a former research scientist and pharma professional turned dementia caregiver and coach, whose journey with her husband Ben’s Lewy Body Dementia has inspired a global community of over 170,000 caregivers. Diane shares how she navigated one of life’s most chal

An interview with Reza Ghomi, MD, on high impact behaviors post-diagnosis, and how families can stay resilient to do the things that they want to do. Welcome to this special edition of the Simon Cares newsletter! Daniel Brown, CEO and Founder of Simon, recently sat down with Dr. Reza Hosseini Ghomi, a neuropsychiatrist who bridges the gap between clinical care and engineering to improve the lives of those living with neurodegenerative disorders. Reza provides actionable, earl

An interview with Emily S. Gavin, MS, OTR/L, CDP, your Philadelphia-based Dementia Care Expert, Occupational Therapist, Caregiver Coach Introduction & Background Welcome to this special edition of the Simon Cares newsletter! Daniel Brown and Rachel Whyte , co-founders at Simon, recently sat down with Emily Gavin , an occupational therapist whose private practice is dedicated to dementia care. Emily provides functional strategies to help caregivers and people with dementia un

By Rachel Whyte, BSN, RN, CEN, CDP Much of dementia care centers on the cognitive and behavioral changes that define the diagnosis. However, dementia does not affect only thinking. It also affects the body. As the disease progresses, many individuals experience muscle weakness, stiffness, impaired balance, changes in walking, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and an increased risk of falls (Fernando et al, 2017). This is where intentional movement becomes essential. People living w

By Nick Shaw of Dementia Disco Inspired by a Real-Life Need “Tramps like us, baby we were born to run.” Bruce Springsteen wrote that in 1974. My dad was 14. And that’s what he did. For the next 50 years, he didn’t stop. I’m pretty sure that, throughout my entire childhood, not counting time spent driving his car, the guy probably sat down for about 15 minutes. My memories of him are always moving: mowing the lawn, building a barbecue, fixing anything that went wrong in the ho