Even when the disease takes so much, love always finds a way to dance.

For over 70 years, Jerry and Carol have been dancing partners. When Carol was diagnosed with progressive dementia, Jerry faced the reality that their rhythm might be lost.

Because of supporters like you, their dance continues.

Through our Dancing to Remember program, Jerry and Carol are able to meet on the dance floor. "It’s a very close binding activity," Jerry says. "It keeps us together and doing the same thing. We both really enjoy it." Watching them move with such grace, it’s clear: this is more than dancing - it is medicine for the heart.

This is the power of Giving Voice Foundation: A dementia community where no one feels alone.

The truth is, the emotional toll of a dementia diagnosis - the fear, the isolation, the sheer exhaustion - is a public health crisis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared loneliness a global health threat. The risk is not just emotional; it is physical. The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, stated that the health risks of social isolation are "as severe as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day" (Source: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, November 2023). In addition to other health risks, loneliness contributes to further cognitive decline.

For families navigating dementia, this isolation is a daily reality. Caregivers often withdraw, feeling overwhelmed, and those living with the disease lose connections.

Your support is the antidote to this isolation.

The programs you help fund are designed to restore joy, create community, and combat isolation head-on, delivering scientific benefits through human connection.

What Giving Voice Foundation is doing:

Brain Benefits: Through social engagement programs, like Dancing to Remember, participants coordinate movement and conversation. This dual-tasking promotes neuroplasticity - the brain’s ability to create new pathways - which may help delay the progression of dementia.
Caregiver Resilience: Jerry admits that caregiving is "an adjustment in life. It’s only difficult when you don’t adjust to it. I plan more, I’m more patient, and I think I’m more loving." Giving Voice Foundation provides him, and thousands of other caregivers, with the free resources and support they need to adjust, cope, and find joy amidst the difficulty.
Safe Spaces: We intentionally design every program - from our clinical consultations to our community gatherings - to be a safe space where people can let their guard down and experience genuine connection. We show people that joy is still possible amidst this disease.

When you support Giving Voice Foundation, you are funding direct, local impact:

90% of all dollars raised goes directly into delivering free programs and services across the Greater Cincinnati Tri-State.
We offer programming six days per week to ensure we meet people at their point of need, whether that’s professional education, caregiving support, or a simple moment of pure fun.

Jerry understands the importance of remaining engaged. When talking about the value of dancing, he says, "It’s about the only form of medicine you can take to delay the progression... keeping busy."

But more than medicine, it is love. Jerry and Carol’s story is a beautiful testament to a love that refuses to let go.

This holiday season, please help us deliver the ultimate gift: the knowledge that they are not, and will never be, alone. Your tax-deductible donation ensures that another couple can find their rhythm, another caregiver can find their peace, and another family knows they have a supportive hand to hold.

With deepest gratitude for your compassion,

Christian Gausvik, MD

President & Founder

P.S. When Carol was asked about her husband, she simply said with a chuckle, "He’s pretty good." Their bond remains strong because of the safe spaces you create. Join us now, and help us guarantee that no one feels alone in their dementia journey.

2025 Year End Appeal

Creating a dementia community where no one feels alone.