Dancing into Brain Health (S1 Ep7): Dancing into Dementia Advocacy w/ Mark Timmons
A strong sense of purpose and meaning is increasingly recognized as having extensive health benefits. Recent studies illustrate the correlation of a strong sense of purpose and meaning in life to promoting better outcomes after a stroke and being associated with a decreased risk of dementia.
For many people who receive a diagnosis of dementia, the pervasive narratives which exist in public discourse paint the experience of dementia as one-note, characterized solely with tragedy, loss and deficit. These narratives around dementia inadvertently influence how people who receive a dementia diagnosis perceive their own agency and sense of purpose.
Our guest on this episode of the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast is artist and dementia advocate Mark Timmons. He has channeled his own lived experience, as someone diagnosed with early-onset dementia in his late 40s, to influence his ongoing advocacy work with people newly diagnosed with dementia.
Together we discuss the ways we can support nurturing a new sense of purpose, agency and meaning and how engaging in creative expression supports brain health and a new identity when navigating the experience of dementia.
Learn more about Mark Timmons here.
Read or watch more:
Snee, J., Snee R., & Momo the Poet. (Eds.). (2025) The Rockland Rhapsody: A Collection of Poetry and Prose by Rockland Writers. Access a digital copy here.
“Photography Helps with Dementia & Advocacy (Mark Timmons) Ep#42 This Dementia Life”
“Featured Artist Mark Timmons on Dementia and the Arts”
Learn more and connect with the Dementia Action Alliance.
This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced by Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.
ABOUT DANCING INTO BRAIN HEALTH PODCAST
Join host Magda Kaczmarska, dancer, researcher, Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health and executive director of arts and health nonprofit, DanceStream Projects, in uncovering the interconnections of dance, brain health and community. Each episode Magda brings together leading researchers, artists, advocates and thought leaders to illuminate the magical interconnections of dance and brain health and explore their influence on all aspects of our lives.
* New Episodes every month! *
Follow us on IG: @ dancestream_projects or email us at: magda@dancestreamprojects.com