BY KIAH MCCONNELL
LARSO

Cognitive decline is a condition that affects millions of individuals and their families,and raising awareness is crucial in providing support and understanding within our communities. Our goal for this weekend of events is to educate, engage, and empower attendees with valuable information and resources about cognitive decline.

On Friday, June 21 from 7-9pm LARSO will be hosting Samual Simon, playwright and actor, as he shares his one-man play Dementia Man, An Existential Journey. This live show is the award-winning autobiographical story of a man who faces his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. In this full-length theatrical piece, Simon takes the stage as a man facing his cognitive decline and asks the hard questions of what to do next in the face of what he calls “an existential journey.” The play challenges the audience to imagine a meaningful future for the millions of people with neurocognitive disease, with accommodation and adaptation.

Directed by Thadd McQuade with dramaturgy by Gabrielle Maisels, Dementia Man, An Existential Journey made its world premiere at Capital Fringe in Washington D.C. in July 2023 and is the recipient of the 2023 Dementia Arts Impact Award by the Dementia Spring Foundation.

Kiah McConnell and Ken Hendricks of Home Instead spoke to Sam last week over Zoom. That conversation may be viewed at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rokNQ3_Pc3E&t=402s.

There are two ticket tiers for this event: Free and VIP. (See flyer above)

Saturday will offer two opportunities to continue the weekend journey with Sam. First, those who purchase one of our VIP tickets for the Dementia Man event on Friday evening will be invited to join Sam for brunch with the actor/author on Saturday morning from 10-11:30 a.m. Later that day, Sam and two local authors (Cat Ozment and Stephanie Nakhleh) will be hosting Dementia Man: Write Your Story. In this three-hour interactive/experiential workshop, Sam, Cat, and Stephanie will lead participants through a series of prompts and activities to help them begin their own stories. Anyone is welcome to join this FREE workshop.

The Los Alamos Retired & Senior Organization and the Older Adult Network look forward to promoting dementia awareness in Los Alamos County and Northern New Mexico through this exciting weekend of events.

The Los Alamos Senior Activity Centers offer classes, workshops, transportation, meals and much more for older adults in Los Alamos. The Betty Ehart and White Rock Centers are open Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4pm and Saturdays from 9am – 1pm. Learn more at www.larso.org