About APP-MN
The Alzheimer's Poetry Project Minnesota (APP-MN)’s mission is to facilitate and enhance the creativity and well-being of older Minnesotans, and to help amplify their voices and stories in our society.
APP-MN uses creative engagement through poetry, life stories, and storytelling. Poems are read, themes such as nature, family and the arts are used to encourage conversation. Together we create a group poem and always end each session with music. These sessions can be meditative and healing as well as powerful and celebratory. The group poems are read aloud and shared with staff and residents.
APP-MN is a program facilitating creativity and well-being for older adults in Minnesota living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Using call and response techniques with classic poems and personal prompts, teaching artists help participants create and perform new poems, fostering social connection and joy. The initiative is part of the national Alzheimer’s Poetry Project, which was founded by Gary Glazner and has been recognized for its positive impact on people with memory loss.
Key Aspects of the Alzheimer's Poetry Project Minnesota:
Mission
- To enhance creativity and well-being for Minnesotans with memory loss.
Methodology
- Call and Response: Facilitators recite a line from a classic poem, and the group echoes it.
- Group Composition: Simple prompts or open-ended questions are used to help participants compose original group poems.
- Focus on Performance: The emphasis is on the fun of saying poems together, rather than analysis.
Impact
- Encourages verbalization of memories and social interaction.
- Promotes positive emotions and a sense of surprise and joy.
- Builds community and supports caregivers by fostering deeper connections with loved ones, according to a 2025 Wiley article.
Intergenerational Collaboration
- APP-MN has also led projects that bring elders together with younger people, such as preschool and middle school students, to share creative experiences.