Featured Winners
An inspiring innovator in the dementia care field, Adria Thompson, M.A., CCC-SLP, recognized an opportunity to create a mobile-first platform designed to transform how dementia care education is delivered and accessed. The Dementia Care App grows with caregivers, meets them in real time, and supports them through every stage of the dementia journey, from the earliest signs of memory change to end-of-life decisions.
2025 Winner:
Adria Thompson, M.A., CCC-SLP
Founder, Be Light Care
As a licensed speech-language pathologist, dementia educator, and university faculty member at Eastern Kentucky University, Thompson brings more than a decade of experience in cognitive-communication disorders and geriatric care. She has trained thousands of caregivers across clinical and home settings and now leads a multidisciplinary team at Be Light Care, uniting deep clinical insight, educational strategy, and digital innovation to help reshape dementia education.
Past Winners:
Dr. Amanda Amaro
Tranquility Health
A leader in elder dental care and community-focused dentistry with extensive experience treating patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia, Dr. Amaro and Tranquility Health’s affiliated doctors are dedicated to providing care to the most dentally underserved population in the US – older adults with cognitive impairments.
A leader in elder dental care and community- s dentistry with extensive experience treating patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia, Dr. Amaro and Tranquility Health’s affiliated doctors are dedicated to providing care to the most dentally underserved population in the US – older adults with cognitive impairments.
Memory Cafes are welcoming social gatherings for people living with changes in their memory or thinking, and the people who care about them. Memory Cafes are where you’ll find joy, friendship, and respite – together.
Anne Basting
University Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Susan McFadden
Fox Valley Memory Project
Beth Soltzberg
Alzheimer’s/Related Disorders Family Support Program, JF&CS
Maude’s Ventures was excited to invest in TapRoot. TapRoot’s digital assistant, Ella, mitigates adverse behaviors in Alzheimer’s and dementia, promoting aging-in-place while supporting continuity from family care to long-term care and other care options.
This application also provides short training videos for caregivers so they are always armed with the best caregiving knowledge.
Linda Buscemi
TapRoot Interventions & Solutions, Inc.
Scarlett Spring
TapRoot Interventions & Solutions, Inc.
Diana Shulla-Cose
Founding Executive Director
Lorenzo’s House
Maude’s Ventures proudly made the founding investment in Lorenzo’s House. Lorenzo’s House is a new nonprofit with the mission of empowering family care partners and their loved ones by addressing the social and clinical needs of families living with younger-onset Alzheimer’s.Maude’s Ventures proudly made the founding investment in Lorenzo’s House. Lorenzo’s House is a new nonprofit with the mission of empowering family care partners and their loved ones by addressing the social and clinical needs of families living with younger-onset Alzheimer’s.
Lorenzo’s House provides resources and hope for families facing young-onset dementia.
Armaan Mishra – with UCSF
In partnership with the UCSF Institute for Health & Aging, Armaan is developing a research-based framework to help student musicians engage more effectively and empathetically with residents living with dementia. The initiative is producing practical tools, including best-practice guidelines, adaptable templates, and student-led instructional videos and curriculum materials, all designed to make musical interactions more meaningful for both performers and audience members.
Anoova Sattar – Keys To Connection
Aani Nagaiah and Gage Samaddar – Our Ode to You
Tailored to meet people where they are in their dementia journey, Our Ode to You is a student-led nonprofit bringing music, movement, and hands-on creativity into memory care communities across Arizona. Many memory care centers lack the resources to provide creative engagement, and Our Ode to You fills this gap, running consistent, personalized programs in partnership with local care facilities.