How Alzheimer’s and dementia patients teach Wisconsin’s next generation of health care workers

Reading Time: 7 minutes Click here to read highlights from the story The New Friends program at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute has paired people with early-stage Alzheimer’s and dementia with UW-Madison students.  The students will go into careers as nurses, doctors, therapists or social workers. Mentors, students and program leaders say the program is mutually beneficial: The semester-long program gives students firsthand experience being around someone who lives with mild cognitive issues, and the mentors get social connection during what can be a lonely time.  New Friends also helps dispel myths about people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia, many of whom are able to live independently, hold jobs, socialize with friends and raise kids or grandkids. The first sign seemed harmless. Bill Ducett drove his carload of friends in the opposite direction of the Chicago conference where they were headed. His wife Diana — a nurse — watched out the car wi