Wed. 9/30 - Enjoy poetry readings by internationally-recognized expert in arts and the aging, Gary Glazner, and learn how poetry benefits those with Alzheimer’s disease.

Village Assisted Living at John Knox Village presents:
	Gary Glazner founder of the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project …and internationally-recognized expert in arts and aging will lead an interactive, intergenerational workshop 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30 in the Ambassador Room
Come and enjoy poetry readings by Glazner and several local high school students, while learning how writing and listening to poetry can benefit those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.      Poetry readings in a dementia care setting might seem an unlikely pairing. However, studies already show that creative outlets such as art and music can help Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers to feel more calm and connected and less lonely, frustrated or angry. Glazner’s highly interactive workshops demonstrate that poetry readings have a similar effect on those with memory impairments. Poetry for Life      For the first hour, Gary will conduct a poetry workshop with students from Summit Christian Academy program. Poetry for Life is a pilot project to join the skills and passion of the young poets of the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, with elders at assisted living and adult day care centers.      Poetry for Life builds on intergenerational work with younger students. Schools participating in the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest are matched with selected senior, assisted living and adult day care centers. About the Alzheimer's Poetry Project      The mission of the Alzheimer's Poetry Project is to facilitate the creativity of people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. We engage people navigating memory loss in an exciting call and response performance during the first half of the workshop.      The session leader recites lines of classic, well-loved poems and the group joins together in echoing the words. During the second half of the workshop, the well-known poems serve as inspiration and models as the group creates an original poem.      The session ends with a performance of the group's newly created poem, giving recognition to the lines and words the participants have contributed.      The National Endowment for the Arts listed the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project as a best practice for the NEA Arts and Aging initiative.      To read Gary Glazner's bio and learn more about Alzheimer's Poetry Project, click here.      For more information about this event, call (816) 347-2709. Glazner's visit to Kansas City is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and is presented in partnership with the Missouri Arts Council, with local support from Kansas City Senior Theatre.