We are constantly growing older, and there are an increasing number of elderly people living with dementia who are merely being taken care of. There is no question that we need alternatives to the established procedures. What can we do to create spaces where we can stay in life - rather than just staying alive? How can we turn the individual environments of people with and without dementia into places of human warmth? In Germany, initiatives attempting to answer these questions are on the rise: Committed individuals from politics, art, churches, social and volunteer work etc. are creatively working towards dementia-friendly communities. In this book, three authors, intimately familiar with the topic, explore initial movements, obstacles, and first approaches.

Verena Rothe (MA), is sociologist and leader of the project 'Menschen mit Demenz in der Kommune' and managing director of Aktion Demenz e.V., Giessen, Germany. Gabriele Kreutzner (Dr.), cultural and media scientist, is actively engaged in projects related to dementia and is co-chair of Aktion Demenz e.V. She lives in Stuttgart, Germany. Reimer Gronemeyer is a retired professor of sociology at Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, the chairman of 'Aktion Demenz', and the honorary senator at Justus-Liebig-Universität. He researches on the subject of age and the 'dementia-friendly community', and is co-editor of the 'Demenz Magazin'.