Mama Joe Project in Peoria Wednesday October 29th

The Mama Joe Project

The Mama Joe Project is a multimedia and outreach initiative focused on aging and care for elders with Alzheimer disease and other dementia. The issue is growing in significance as the world’s population of people 60 years and older is estimated to double by year 2050.

Core to the project is My Mama Joe Hope & Help, a documentary film whose central character is a former community champion living with dementia. The story intersects personal narrative with broader themes of aging, health, and caregiving. The film is complimented by Engagement Forums, a series of community outreach events to raise awareness, highlight resources, and inspire hope.

With prioritized emphasis on improving health outcomes, the vision for this project is that individuals and families will be better positioned to experience improved quality of life as they age.

The event planned by the Illinois Department on Aging for the Peoria area on October 29th at the Peoria Riverfront Museum was very successful. Several of members of Mama Joe’s family were present to answer questions regarding their mom, the caregiving process, concerns about dementia, and to share their story.

A panel discussion followed the documentary with facilitated questions and sharing. On the panel were Peggy Jacques, Founder of Graceland Center for Purposeful Aging, Cindy Guede, APRN with OSF Health Care PACE (Progressive All Inclusive Care of the Elderly), and Juanita Pazv with her daughter, Family caregivers. The overall purpose of the outreach with the Mama Joe project was well represented at this gathering. People were encouraged to prevent dementia with lifestyle changes, to get help with concerns, to prepare for the future if one does have a family member or themselves with dementia changes, and to remove the stigma of having dementia. All left encouraged to face this epidemic and to support one another in the community. The story Mama Joe herself was quite an inspiration of love and inclusiveness!

You can stream the documentary on line on PBS. Be sure to do so, it is a memorable experience and such an inspiration!

https://www.mamajoeproject.com/outreach

Mama Joe’s #10 Favorite Child tells his story with creating this documentary while facilitating the panel discussion.