Flourishing Together: Community and Innovation in Dementia Care with Allyson Schrier, CEO and Co-Founder of Zinnia

<p class="MsoNormal">Allyson Schrier's life took an unexpected turn when her husband was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. At the time, he was 47 years old, and their kids were 12 and 15. Like many families, they faced the challenges of caring for their loved one and have a deep desire to help families thrive beyond the diagnosis.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">My guest today is Allyson Schrier, CEO and co-founder of <a href="https://www.zinniatv.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zinnia</a>. Allyson is also the recipient of the Maude Awards for innovation in Alzheimer's care and was named a visionary caregiver by caregiving.com. Zinnia was formed in 2019 in response to Allyson's experience as a dementia family caregiver. Allyson joined forces with the former designer of Apple's memory product, and together they created an app for connected TVs and a mobile app that delivers a library of videos functioning as a non-pharmacological tool to create connections, reduce stress, and provide soothing aids to help with daily living activities.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">In our conversation today, Allyson vulnerably shares her experience as a spouse caregiving for her husband, as well as the factors we should be looking for. We talk about the specific challenges of frontotemporal dementia and the unique dynamics of spouse caregiving. We shed light on early detection, as the average age of diagnosis for this condition falls between 30 and 50 years, but confirmation can often take a long time. We discuss what we should be looking for and Allyson's personal journey in finding hope and managing caregiver burnout, while also covering available resources such as the invaluable expertise of <a href="https://teepasnow.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">Teepa Snow</a> and the groundbreaking work at the <a href="http://depts.washington.edu/mbwc/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">University of Washington's Memory and Brain Wellness Center.</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p