The 6th Annual Maude’s Award Recipients are announced! Maude’s Awards annually makes up to eight awards for existing innovations in one of four categories of care:

1. Making Connections,
2. Cultivating Health,
3. Supporting Care Partners and
4. Treating By Design

Here are the 2025 recipients:

Organizations ($25,000)

1. Dementia Support Northwest (DSNW) – Bellingham, WA
2. Masonicare Corporation – Wallingford, CT
3. Lorenzo’s House – Chicago, IL

Individuals ($5,000)

1. Laurie Scherrer – Albertville, AL
2. Joe Hausch – Franklin, WI
3. Nancy Treaster – Johns Creek, GA
4. Alexis Baker – Lake Oswego, OR

Honorable Mentions

1. Dementia Spring – Louisville, KY
2. Prairie Connect – Overland Park, KS

ORGANIZATIONS

1. Dementia Support Northwest (DSNW) – MAKING CONNECTIONS

Amy’s Place is the Dementia Community Hub in the Bellis Fair Mall, in Bellingham, Washington. DSNW secured a grant to help plan and launch the Hub. DSNW has a three-phase process and is now in phase two. We will continue offering services and add new services for unmet community needs. DSNW offers:

Free short term respite care, a social hub/ Coffee Counter, Meeting space for Support Groups and Memory screening to name a few of the offerings.

2. Masonicare Corp. – MAKING CONNECTIONS

Masonicare currently offers intergenerational activities with two unique programs. The first is a Students in Residence (SIR) program that was initiated in 2016. Students from a local university reside amongst the residents for the academic year, providing recreation programming. Recently, additional properties were acquired, two of which have memory care units. The plan is to open this program to those communities for the 25/26 academic year. Student participants from two universities have already been selected.

The other program is the Community Engagement Legacy class where students from Quinnipiac University spend the semester with a resident, learning their stories and creating a book to provide to them and their family about their life. This ongoing partnership began in the fall of 2024.

3. Lorenzo’s House – SUPPORTING CARE PARTNERS

Lorenzo’s House is a non-profit, virtual, worldwide organization offering free programming and empowerment to the sons, daughters, and families affected by younger-onset dementia (YOD- younger than 65). Our three-pillar programs are designed to educate, empower, and build community:

• MATCH–curing isolation through caregiver-to-caregiver connection
• CLUBS–building community in virtual hang outs
• SUMMIT–driving dementia justice through our worldwide youth-led event

We are changing the way people think, experience, and respond to dementia, with youth as our compass. Since 2021, we have served more than 2200 family members, across 49 States and 15 countries. We connected more than 400 carers through MATCH, offered 350+ support CLUB sessions, and grew our youth-led SUMMIT from 20 to more than 200 daughters and sons of YOD.

INDIVIDUALS ($5000)

Laurie Scherrer – MAKING CONNECTIONS

“After a dementia diagnosis and losing my career, feelings of uselessness and discontent began pulling me into a deep hole of self-deprivation. After a period of grief and anger, I made a promise to make the best of every day, to live to the fullest and make a difference in those newly diagnosed. Through Dementia Action Alliance, (DAA) I run 19 Virtual weekly or monthly Programs free to participants focusing on enhancing lives, connecting people, providing support, and increasing understanding. I continuously monitor, add, and change to meet current needs. Our programs offer opportunities for education, exercise, companionship, strategies, and advocacy. Our goal is to help participants find purpose either within or outside DAA programs. We believe that life with dementia can still be rich with meaning, and we support individuals as they pursue new passions, and opportunities.”

Joe Hausch – PHOTAVIA – MAKING CONNECTIONS

PHOTAVIA® creates all-inclusive media experiences via art – part video, part education – with a neuroscience focus. The premise is how positive personal memories, evoked by triggers, can benefit individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s, and their families/care partners. The “A Moment in Time” (AMIT) series of 300+ V-clips have stories, large text with voice over, and original music beds. Viewing can reduce anxiety and stress, create reminiscence, ignite connection and conversation, and help mitigate isolation. PhoTrivia transforms V-Clips into engaging group activities specifically addressing a need for structured activities that stimulate memory and conversation.

Nancy Treaster– The Caregiver’s Journey – SUPPORTING CARE PARTNERS

My care partner journey began when my husband was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia which truly immersed me in dementia caregiving.

What inspires my work is the stark reality I faced: I was unprepared for dementia caregiving. I struggled to find practical, specific guidance for day-to-day challenges. I came to believe that dementia family caregivers want and need to hear from others who have “lived it”.

The Caregiver’s Journey is a nonprofit resource for dementia family caregivers founded in August 2024 – the heart of which is our awarding winning podcast. We provide support and guidance to dementia family caregivers by sharing answers to questions they do not know to ask and support we wish we’d had.

Alexis Baker – Bridgetown Music Therapy – SUPPORTING CARE PARTNERS

Bridgetown Music Therapy offers services including in-person music therapy to online music programs, in addition to education/advocacy through writing, networking, content creating, collaborating, and resource sharing with the dementia care community.

We focus on “Singing at Home” (SAH), our virtual music engagement program that includes active participation through the activities of singing, physical movement, deep breathing, relaxation, and instrument play. Outcomes focus on improving quality of life for persons living with dementia and supporting care partners. SAH has a holistic approach by impacting a person’s cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Benefits include improved mood, reduced anxiety, cognitive engagement, and increased connection to loved one/caregivers.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Dementia Spring – MAKING CONNECTIONS

Dementia Spring’s dual mission is to empower and to scale independent, grass-roots arts programs and artists to

1. inspire joy and creativity in persons living with dementia and their care partners, and
2. challenge the pervasive stereotypes of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Our values are centered around creativity, partnership, and diversity. Founded in 2020, Dementia Spring provides funding,
expertise, and technical support to artists and art therapists to present their work into the dementia community, including online publications, grants, and in-person performances.

Prairie Connect – CULTIVATING HEALTH

Prairie Connect operates on the Prairie Connect Care farm, a beautiful and therapeutic location which allows clients to “work” on the farmstead with a job friend. Activities include preparing, planting, maintaining the garden, pulling crops, working with therapeutic farm animals, and making connections with the residents who live on the farmstead, job friends, and others. The program is multi-sensory, incorporating music, art, nature, and more. The program also offers much needed respite for the caregivers.