I’m Still Here Foundation Seeks To Show Older Adults Can ‘live Well’ With Dementia

A nonprofit aging services organization is committed to helping bring more nonpharmacological engagement programming to older adults living with dementia.

Through the I’m Still Here Foundation’s innovation program, the nonprofit offers grant funding of up to $12,000 to individuals, organizations and nonprofits to support innovative programming that improves dementia care.

“What we’re really trying to do is show people that you can live well with a diagnosis of dementia all the way through the journey and bringing research to bear to help people and create a better future,” said ISHF Executive Director Sharon Johnson.

John Zeisel founded the I’m Still Here Foundation in 1995 and developed a dementia care model that aims to engage with people living with dementia rather than focusing on cognitive decline.

The foundation’s research wing, Hopeful Aging, develops nonpharmacological interventions by studying environmental design, communication techniques and engagement using funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Over the years, the foundation has developed a wide range of research-informed engagement materials for senior living providers, Johnson said.

“We’re providing seed funding to find people who are innovating in the dementia care space to help their projects grow,” Johnson said.

For example, 2026 recipient Theo’s Flowers received funding to partner students with senior living communities to repurpose flowers into handcrafted bouquets along with handwritten notes to spur intergenerational engagement for older adults in memory care.

Other projects that received funding this year include poetry workshops for Oneida Nation elders in Wisconsin, preschool and library partnerships in Michigan that bring young children and older adults together through music and sensory activities. Other projects include live music therapy sessions in California wherein organizers encourage singing, memory sharing and emotional expression.

The grant recipients also demonstrate how community-based models can meet the diverse needs of people living with dementia. For example, North Carolina’s “How to Incubate Your Program” expands a volunteer-led respite care model that combines music, art, movement and social engagement while providing caregivers with valuable breaks.

The foundation is slated to provide the next wave of grant funding this summer and Johnson said it will award many grants to nonprofit senior living organizations across the country.

“Senior living providers are at the apex of where people look for ideas and innovation,” Johnson said. “This creates a ripple effect that advances a broader movement of hope and action, bringing meaningful nonpharmacological interventions to the forefront of dementia care and expanding their reach far beyond a single project.”

In the latest round of grant requests, the foundation received more than 200 applications, demonstrating the need for funding to help improve dementia awareness, education and services for older adults, Johnson said.

She encouraged senior living providers to think differently about their programming in memory care, saying operators should incorporate programming that moves beyond simple table games or activities and engages residents. That’s because adverse resident behaviors in memory care often stem from unmet emotional or social needs.

“It’s encouraging that senior living providers have learned and are adapting engagement to be an antidote to these behaviors before going straight to medical intervention,” Johnson said.

To improve senior living memory care operations, Johnson said providers must create programming that can “help people be successful” by focusing on their retained abilities. She said providers also have a duty to help destigmatize dementia and cognitive change.

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