Poetry, whether reading or writing it, can be a powerful tool to ease our dementia caregiving journey, allowing us to express our deepest emotions, unravel our confusion and angst, and learn from and understand others.

Susan J. Farese, MSN, RN is the author of Poetic Expressions in Nursing: Sharing the Caring, poems written when she became a nurse poet in the 1990's. Heartbreaking memories of losing her grandmother, Ann, to early onset Alzheimer's when she was a young teen inspired her first poem, Ann's Zest Ends.

 In this episode, we discuss how witnessing her grandmother's decline as a child profoundly impacted her even 50 years later, why a chance scene in a movie inspired her to start writing poetry, and the value of poetry as expression for nurses and caregivers.

A native of New Jersey, Susan has decades of experience in health care and communications, including military and civilian nursing practice, management, education/training, public speaking, research, and consulting. She is owner/president of SJF Communications, based in San Diego, California. SJF Communications provides public relations, marketing, social media, websites, writing, filmmaking, acting, public speaking, mentoring and photography. She currently teaches "Capturing Your Creativity with Haiku" workshops and has published poetry and articles on a variety of topics.

In addition to being on the advisory board of San Diego Film Week, Susan is a member of SAG-AFTRA,  American Legion Post 43, Veterans in Media & Entertainment, San Diego Writers Ink  the San Diego Press Club, the Southern California Writers Association, the Army Nurse Corps Association.  Since 2017, she has been a Mentor in San Diego State University’s Aztec MentorProgram.

April is National Poetry Month

Please join us on April 18th at 2 pm when we present Poetry for the Dementia Journey, an AlzAuthors Live! Virtual Q&A featuring several of our poets. Subscribe to our website at alzauthors.com to receive notice of these events.

After the Podcast

Read Susan's AlzAuthors post:

Susan J. Farese Reflects on Alzheimer’s and Nursing in Poetry

Buy the book:

Purchase Poetic Expressions in Nursing: Sharing the Caring

Note: We are an Amazon Associate and may receive a small commission from books sales.

Listen to Susan read Ann's Zest Ends, her tribute to her grandmother, on Audible

Connect with Susan

Website

Facebook Business Page

 Instagram @sjfcommo

 Twitter @sjfcommo

Contact: [email protected]

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About the Podcast

AlzAuthors is the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Our podcast introduces you to our authors who share their stories and insights to provide knowledge, comfort, and support. Please subscribe so you don’t miss a word. If our authors’ stories move you, please leave a review. And don’t forget to share our podcast with family and friends on their own dementia journeys.

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