Over 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and other associated dementias amid a shortage of health professionals trained to care for aging adults. Drs. Anne Kerber and Kristi Oeding of Minnesota State University Mankato join co-host Dr. Lynn Harter and introduce artful place-making as an innovative approach to organizing and teaching care for people with dementias. They explore the multi-sensory and therapeutic potentials of gardening and how artful place-making can unsettle dominant narratives of aging and disability that over-emphasize deficits.

You can read an article about this project in the journal Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2433288

Dr. Jay Baglia, Professor of Health Communication at DePaul University, joins co-host Dr. Joe Bianco to recount his journey toward cancer survivorship. Reflecting on the implanted port that delivered life-saving toxins to his body, Jay exposes the complexities and contradictions of navigating cancer care. The conversation offers a hopeful perspective on preserving and redefining our humanity amid technologically driven medical care.
You can read Jay’s Health Communication articles here: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2093554 and https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1813393

Dr. Olivia McAnirlin, Co-Director of the Virtual Reality and Nature Lab at Clemson University, joins co-host Dr. Lynn Harter to reflect on her use of 360-degree virtual reality storytelling in working with patients and families who cannot revisit memorable places in nature. Olivia developed the concept of TandemVRTM to regift nature and recreation experiences for people facing precarious circumstances including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Immersive storytelling is uniquely equipped to transport participants to cherished outdoor places, a process with therapeutic potential for both patients and loved ones.
You can read Olivia’s article in the journal Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2329423