| Dear Friends, As I read that April was Poetry Month I wondered if, perhaps, there was poem that I might share to help us reflect on dementia and what it means to people living with dementia and their caregivers. I could not find anything that I felt really accomplished this. One of my favorite poems is Robert Frost’s “Mending Walls” because it expresses empathy and connection. So I decided to ask AI to write a poem about dementia using “Mending Walls” as a foundation. I thought what it created was worth sharing. |
Stone lines once ran straight through the land—
not to keep out, but to remember where
one field ended and another began.
Each spring we walked them, you and I,
palms against cold granite, resetting
what winter had persuaded to fall.
You said, “Good fences make good neighbors,”
as if the stones themselves agreed—
as if memory were something you could stack,
balanced by hand, restored each year
before it slipped too far.
Now the wall wanders.
Rocks lie scattered in the tall grass,
names misplaced like loosened stones.
You lift one—turn it over—ask me if it belongs to you.
I say yes, gently, though I’m not sure
which side we’re standing on anymore.
There are gaps where stories used to be:a wedding day, a brother’s laugh,
the smell of rain on cedar wood.
Through them, strange silences wander in,and you greet them as if they’ve always lived here.
I try to rebuild—fit this moment to that one,
press your hand around a word
you used to carry easily.
But the ground has shifted beneath us;
nothing settles the way it once did.
Still, I walk the line.
Not because I believe the wall will hold,
or that the borders can be saved,
but because in the placing—
stone to uncertain stone—
there’s a rhythm you remember in your bones.
And sometimes, just sometimes,
you look at me across the breaking wall
and smile,
as if for a moment
the fields are clear again,
and we are neighbors
on either side of something whole.
I hope you enjoyed the poem as much as I did. Happy Spring.
Best,
 |
| Tara A. Cortes, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA |
| Free Course: Distinguishing between Dementia, Delirium, and Depression The Distinguishing between Dementia, Delirium, and Depression course reviews and compares the DSM-IV and DSM-V criteria for dementia, delirium, and depression. After taking this course, practitioners will be able to recognize, assess, and screen for these conditions, increasing their ability to identify key hallmarks and red flags in older adults. Use the promo code april26 (case sensitive) to view until the end of April Nursing Continuing Professional Development contact hours are available. The NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing Center for Nursing Continuing Professional Development is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation |
| Have you ever done a home visit with an AI avatar? This past Thursday, HIGN reached an exciting milestone with the debut of our nearly complete immersive VR experience. Students put on headsets to walk a mile in the shoes of Jane Thomas, an older adult resident of Williamsbridge in the Bronx. By navigating Jane’s daily routine, such as grocery shopping, riding the bus, and visiting a community center, participants gained a unique perspective on her daily life and the potential challenges. The experience culminated in a virtual home visit where students assessed Jane’s personal health needs and living environment in a fully interactive way. |
HIGN Highlights
Presentations:
Prof. Eda Ozkara San presented, “Bridging the Gap: Using Standardized Patient Simulation to Cultivate Cultural Humility and Inclusive Care” as a guest speaker at Nisantasi University in Istanbul, Turkey.
Prof. Eda Ozkara San presented, “The Use of Clinical Simulation to Enhance Culturally Congruent Nursing Care” at the Transcultural Nursing Society North East Chapter 25th Year Anniversary
Publications:
Respectful care for gender-diverse patients | Prof. Fidel Lim, American Nurse Journal
Against cynicism: Small practices that sustain nursing | Prof. Fidel Lim, American Nurse Journal
Edentulism and risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: A competing risk analysis by cognitive status | Profs. Xiang Qi, Bei Wu and others, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
Assessing Older Adults Who Have Experienced Homelessness: Findings from an Exploratory Study | Prof. Kelseanne Breder and others, Journal of Applied Gerontology
Job demands, resources, mental health, and intention to leave among early-career nurses: A cross-sectional study | Profs. Chenjuan Ma and others, International Journal of Nursing Studies
Oral microbiome and Frailty: Insights from NHANES 2009-2012 and Mendelian Randomization Analysis | Profs. Xiang Qi, Yaguang Zheng, Bei Wu and others, The Journals of Gerontology: Series A
Enhancing cultural competence in nursing education through generative artificial intelligence tools | Profs. Eda Ozkara San and Fidel Lim, Journal of Transcultural Nursing
The effect of simulation-based electroconvulsive therapy education on perception and knowledge of nursing students – a semi-experimental study | Prof. Eda Ozkara San and others, The Journal of ECT
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