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The experience of dementia, for people living with memory loss and for the family members and friends who care for them, is often told through the language of loss. But there is a growing effort to change that, creating work that centers connection, humanity, and what remains.
One of those projects is “Memory Generation,” an interview-based theater production set in a memory cafe, where people affected by dementia gather in a space built around creativity and community.Memory Generation was created by Sara Zatz and Sherrine Azab and premiered this year at La MaMa in New York City. Zatz is the artistic director of engagement at Pink Fang,, where she develops community-based work rooted in first-hand interviews. Azab is a Detroit-based theater director and co-director of the ensemble A Host of People. Both drew on their own experiences as family caregivers for loved ones living with dementia, as well as interviews with people across the country and the lived experiences of the show’s performers.In this Live Talk with Being Patient’s Mark Niu, Zatz and Azab discussed how they built the production, why they set it inside a memory cafe, and how they worked to portray caregiving without reducing it to its hardest moments. They also reflected on questions of consent and whose stories get told, the strain that limited resources place on caregivers, and how the arts and community might help build what they describe as a more dementia-friendly society.---If you loved this Live Talk, visit our website to find more of our Alzheimer’s coverage and subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beingpatient.com/Follow Being Patient: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Being_Patient_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingpatientvoices/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beingpatientalzheimersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/being-patientBeing Patient is an editorially independent journalism outlet for news and reporting about brain health, cognitive science, and neurodegenerative diseases. In our Live Talk series on Facebook, former Wall Street Journal Editor and founder of Being Patient, Deborah Kan, interviews brain health experts and people living with dementia. Check out our latest Live Talks: https://beingpatient.com/live-talks/
