John Zeisel
John Zeisel is the founder and Emeritus Board Member of the I’m Still Here Foundation, and co-founder of Hearthstone Alzheimer Care, Ltd.
The Foundation supports the development and design of non-pharmacological (ecopsychosocial) programs that enhance the lives of persons living with dementia. Hearthstone manages assisted living residences for persons with dementia, trains care provider teams throughout the US on the unique I’m Still Here® approach, and develops design programs and planning concepts for assisted living and other senior housing options.
John’s popular YouTube TV interview series – Hopeful Aging with Dr. John Zeisel – has as its mission “to create a life worth living for all of us as we get older, including those with cognitive challenges, by enriching lives and offering hope.” His work is also highlighted in the award-winning public television documentary, Revolutionizing Dementia Care.
John received a Ph.D. from Columbia University and an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Salford University in the UK. John has taught at Yale and McGill Universities. After serving on the faculty of Harvard’s Department of Architecture, John received a fellowship at the National Institute for Advanced Studies in the Netherlands and visiting professorships at the University of Minnesota School of Architecture and Salford University. He served on the inaugural Board of the San Diego-based Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA).
John is the author of the best-selling book, I’m Still Here: a new approach to caring for someone with Alzheimer’s and the popular research and design textbook, Inquiry by Design: Environment / Behavior / Neuroscience in Architecture, Interiors, Landscape, and Planning, as well as numerous articles. In 2020, Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) published his co-authored book, World Alzheimer’s Report on Design for Dementia.