Verde to Speak on Alzheimer's

Michael Verde, founder and president of Memory Bridge: The Foundation for Alzheimer's and Cultural Memory, will speak about the organization's work in a presentation on Thursday, April 9 at 5 p.m. in the Bone Student Center Old Main Room.  A reception will precede the presentation at 4 p.m.

Verde's presentation is the 2009 national speaker event for the Expanding Teaching Nursing Home Project at Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University.  His presentation is free, but those wishing to attend are asked to reserve a space by calling Charlene Aaron in Mennonite College of Nursing at (309) 438-7116.

Memory Bridge creates programs that connect people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias to family, friends, and other people in their local communities.  It also creates programs that reveal to the general public the depths of memory that dementia does not erase.  Memory Bridge programs often bring older adults with memory problems and junior high and high school students together.  The intergenerational dialog leads to meaningful relationships that enhance the quality of life for both groups.  For more information on Memory Bridge visit www.memorybridge.org

In addition to being the founder and president of Memory Bridge, Verde is the director of the Global Opportunity Leadership Institute, a summer program that develops the leadership skills of exceptionally capable young people who are economically disadvantaged.  Verde holds a master's degree in literary studies from the University of Iowa and a master's degree in theology from the University of Durham, England.  His work with Memory Bridge combines his deep interest in literature, religion, the verbal and cultural construction of selfhood, and the embodiments of memory.

The Expanding Teaching Nursing Home Project national speaker event is co-sponsored by the Economic Development Council of Bloomington-Normal, Mennonite Nurses Alumni Organization, and Sigma Theta Tau International - Xi Pi Chapter.