Hopeful Aging

10/08/2026

10/06/2026

You may have heard us talk about CONNECT, but what exactly is it?

This October, we’re going to take a closer look at CONNECT and share more about the ideas, research and tools behind it.

CONNECT was created specifically to support meaningful engagement for people living with dementia, helping create opportunities for conversation, participation, choice and connection, whether at home or in a community setting.

Throughout the month, we’ll share more about:
🏈 A football-themed story from the CONNECT Reading Library
🎃 A Halloween story to enjoy together
📚 How the CONNECT Reading Library works — and why its stories are designed differently
💬 Some of the different ways CONNECT encourages conversation, choice and participation
🔎 The research and thinking behind CONNECT
🎤 Mike Skrajner’s upcoming presentation, Artificial Intelligence to Improve Quality of Life for Persons with Dementia.

If you’ve been curious about CONNECT, this is a great month to follow along and the CONNECT Reading Library is an easy place to start exploring what meaningful, dementia-friendly engagement can look like.

Follow along as we Discover CONNECT this October. 💛

And if you know an activity professional, care partner or community that could benefit, please share Hopeful Aging with them!

09/29/2026

Tomorrow is the LAST DAY to vote for CONNECT! 🗳️

CONNECT has been nominated for a 2026 SHN Product of the Year Award in the Resident Engagement Experience / Lifestyle Technology category, and voting officially closes tomorrow, September 30.

This nomination celebrates the kind of meaningful engagement, connection, and conversation we hope to create every day for people living with dementia.
If CONNECT has made an impact on you, your team, your residents, or your community, we would be so grateful if you took a moment to vote.

🗳️ Vote for CONNECT here:
https://poyawards.seniorhousingnews.com/vote

Every vote means so much to us. Thank you for supporting CONNECT and a more hopeful approach to aging. 💛

Don’t wait — tomorrow is the final day to vote!

09/24/2026

💛 Thoughtful Thursday 💛

With World Gratitude Day celebrated earlier this week, we’re carrying that spirit of appreciation with us today.

Sometimes gratitude is found in the smallest moments — a warm cup of coffee, a favorite song, a phone call from someone you love, or simply a quiet moment in the day.

So today we’re asking:

What is one small thing you are grateful for today?

Share yours in the comments. We’d love to hear what brought a little joy to your day.

09/22/2026

CONNECT has been nominated for a 2026 SHN Product of the Year Award in the Resident Engagement Experience/Lifestyle Technology category — and there’s still time to vote!

At Hopeful Aging, CONNECT was created to help make meaningful engagement, conversation, and connection more accessible for people living with dementia.

If you’ve seen the impact CONNECT can have — whether with your residents, clients, loved ones, or community — we’d love your support.

🗳️ Please take a moment to vote for CONNECT:
https://poyawards.seniorhousingnews.com/vote

Voting closes September 30, 2026, so every vote counts.

Thank you for supporting a more hopeful approach to aging and dementia care. 💛

09/16/2026

📚 Happy National Read a Book Day!

Reading can be about so much more than the words on the page.

Sometimes the most meaningful moments happen between the pages — when a story sparks a memory, a question, a laugh, an opinion, or a conversation we didn’t expect.

Today, we’re sharing our Popular Festivals story from CONNECT — a fun way to explore familiar celebrations, traditions, and experiences together.

At Hopeful Aging, we love the way a simple story can open the door to something more — a new perspective or a moment of connection.

💛 There’s no right way to experience a story together. Pause when something catches your attention, talk about what feels familiar, and let the conversation unfold naturally.

📖 Celebrate National Read a Book Day by exploring our featured Popular Festivals story by clicking here: https://tr.ee/9yjo4M

09/10/2026

CONNECT has been nominated for a 2026 SHN Product of the Year Award in the Resident Engagement Experience/Lifestyle Technology category!

This recognition means so much to us because CONNECT was built around something we believe deeply at Hopeful Aging: creating more opportunities for meaningful engagement, connection, and quality of life for people living with dementia.

If CONNECT has inspired you, your team, or your community, we’d be so grateful for your vote. 💛

🗳️ Vote for CONNECT here:
https://poyawards.seniorhousingnews.com/vote

Voting is open through September 30, 2026.

09/09/2026

The ideas behind CONNECT are part of a much larger conversation about how we see and support people living with dementia.

Dr. John Zeisel, President of Hopeful Aging, has spent decades advancing a more hopeful, person-centered understanding of dementia—one that recognizes each person’s strengths, abilities, and capacity for meaningful connection.

That same philosophy is at the heart of CONNECT.

John will soon be speaking at the GIA Conference on redefining dementia innovation, continuing an important conversation about how we can move beyond outdated assumptions and create better experiences for people living with dementia and those who support them.
We’re proud to see this work continuing to shape the future of dementia care, engagement, and innovation.

👉 Read more about John’s upcoming presentation through the I’m Still Here Foundation: https://www.imstillhere.org/post/i-m-still-here-foundation-leaders-to-present-at-the-gia-conference-on-redefining-dementia-innovation

09/08/2026

💬 The best conversations don’t always begin with a question.
Sometimes, they begin with a photograph that catches your eye.

A song you recognize.
A story that makes you smile.
A familiar topic that sparks an opinion.
Or simply something interesting enough to make you want to say, “Look at this.”

Meaningful engagement doesn’t have to feel like an interview or a test of what someone remembers. When we offer something interesting to see, hear, read, or experience together, conversation can unfold naturally.

That’s an important part of the thinking behind CONNECT—creating opportunities for people living with dementia to participate, share, respond, and connect in ways that feel comfortable and meaningful in the moment.

Because sometimes the best way to start a conversation is simply to give it somewhere to begin. 💛

✨ Learn more about CONNECT: https://www.theconnectapp.com/