Questions
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What we are, what the Thrive Journey is, who the elders are, and how to get a Memory Player working.
Questions we get asked
What is AliveInside.org?
Alive Inside is a non-profit dedicated to improving life for elders living with dementia, for the people who care for them, and for the communities around them.
We build open-source tools for expanding human connection and intergenerational empathy, and we help communities create shared experiences that bring the generations together.
The tools we share include the Alive Inside App, the Memory Player headset, the Life Story App, the Alive Inside Together learning guides, Thrive Centers and our certification programs. All of it open-source, all of it built to get people into the same room.
What is the Alive Inside “Thrive” philosophy?
Young, old and the people caring for both need to be more alive inside.
Anthropologists have noticed that some of our deep communal social skills are thinning out — skills that kept humans alive for millennia. The Thrive Journey is meant to be transformational, and to help us get that wisdom back.
We create purpose by empowering young people to change the lives of elders, and elders to change the lives of the young. Along the way it expands empathy and emotional intelligence for the whole community. The journey looks at aging, the brain, embodied being, human connection, self-reflection, empathy, dementia awareness, and new ways to meet the future coming at us.
What does Thrive Certification give a community?
Love in your heart and the desire to connect.
We believe we all have to expand our empathy and emotional intelligence to meet the future that is emerging. The assumptions of the past are outmoded and serve neither us nor the biosphere. Facing life and death is how humans become wise. Eldercare needs disrupting, and the next generation needs help becoming wise.
The certification increases enrichment for residents, morale for staff, and revenue for the community. The pilot is simple to implement, easy to manage, and designed to:
- Increase resident enrichment
- Promote teamwork
- Recognize all staff, and reward some
- Increase team morale
- Increase occupancy and revenue, and reduce employee turnover
Want to be considered for the pilot? Reach out to Maisie Shannon-Bowe, AIF Co-Director, at Maisie@AliveInside.org
Who are the elders?
Your neighbor. Your grandmother. Your aunt. Anyone life has left lonely.
Loneliness is an enormous problem for elders in America. Frankly, it is a disgrace.
Healthcare providers looking to implement an institutional iPod program should contact Music & Memory.
Is there training?
Yes, and it is free. We share community-created educational materials and tools called the Alive Inside Thrive Journey.
It is built for youth leaders, teachers, religious leaders, volunteers and whole communities who want to make life better for elders, and for themselves in the process. We have courses now and more online courses in development for students and volunteers.
Why is Alive Inside doing this?
Making the film showed us what music, story and human connection can do. Too many elders, young people and towns are stagnating in isolation. Plenty of young people never spend time with an elder, or get the chance to give anything substantial to anyone.
A tidal wave of change is coming. We think the ancient technologies — music, empathy, connection — are the tools we need to meet it.
How do I use the Memory Player headphones?
There are full instructions on the Memory Player page.
If you are still stuck, email a volunteer at info@aliveinside.org and somebody will walk you through it.