As part of the new Healthier Here, There, and Everywhere campaign, the University of Minnesota is showcasing faculty whose work is making a statewide impact and helping to improve the health of all Minnesotans.
A recent feature showcased UMN School of Public Health Professor Joseph Gaugler and his tireless efforts to travel the state educating people about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Gaugler, the Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging at SPH, calls his ongoing series of talks in the Dementia Educational Experience Roadshow (DEER). Since its inception more than 15 years ago, Gaugler estimates that he has traveled approximately 10,000 miles in Minnesota, holding free sessions that provide comprehensive overviews of dementia symptoms, information about the stages of Alzheimer’s disease, current care and treatment options, and other related topics.
In almost every community he visits, Gaugler collaborates with an existing local organization and works to tailor the presentations to each audience’s unique concerns.
As the article points out, “The roadshow’s roots go back to about 2008, when Gaugler was housed at the U of M’s School of Nursing. An area agency on aging called Land of the Dancing Sky in northern Minnesota invited him to give talks on dementia education. ‘”That resonated a lot with me—being able to present to the community directly in this way,” he says. “It was really them asking questions, so it ended up being pretty dynamic, and I enjoyed it a lot. I was very energized by it.’”
The profile also includes perspectives from local community members with whom Gaugler has partnered, like Jason Swanson, the executive director of the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging, which serves 27 counties and about a half million people in southwestern Minnesota. Swanson says he is a “fan of what he calls “’Gaugler’s Roadshow’” and says he’s been to 10 of Gaugler’s presentations.
“Every time he comes out here, we hear good feedback,” Swanson says. “We have people asking, ‘When can he come back; when can we have this again?’ It really speaks to how good of a lecturer and communicator he is.”
Read the full article on Gaugler’s work to educate Minnesotans about dementia and related diseases.
