Where Arts and Imagination Fuel the Mind

Our mission is to empower, engage, and educate individuals, care partners, and families living with dementia or other brain health issues to live a more fulfilling life through the arts, social interaction and community outreach.

“Isolation is a large contributing factor to increasing the pain and difficulty of having dementia. Our programs are designed to decrease isolation and increase socialization with community support.”
– Dr. Charlie Farrell

What We Do

We welcome you to the Carolyn L. Farrell Foundation for Brain Health. Below is a video which will give you an overview of our Center for Artful Living and many of it’s enrichment and wellness programs for individuals impacted by dementia/Alzheimer’s and other cognitive health issues.

SHARE for Dementia is an evidence-based care-planning program that empowers adults with early-stage dementia and their families to get the most out of today while planning for tomorrow. Below is a video that will introduce you to the SHARE program. The Farrell Foundation provides this program at no cost to the community through the collaboration with Benjamin Rose.

For further information:
Contact the Farrell Foundation
Phone: 440-414-0434
Email: info@farrellfoundation.com

About Us

The Farrell Family

The Carolyn L. Farrell Foundation for Brain Health was established in 2011 when the Farrell Family saw a need in the community. In caring for Carol, wife and mother, we found that there are few activity based programs for people living at home with dementia/Alzheimer’s. We wanted to bring programming to the community in order to help support people’s treatment plan and management of their illness. Our programs are largely arts based and focus on multi-sensory elements. The human senses centered in the brain preserve abilities well into the disease process.

It is often assumed that people with dementia can not participate in daily life activities anymore, and that is not true. When we create activities that are accessible, individuals thrive and find joy in the experience. People with dementia can create, imagine, and have fun.

Most importantly, isolation is a large contributing factor to increasing the pain and difficulty of having dementia. Our programs are designed to decrease isolation and increase socialization with community support.

Francoise & Bill Ferguson – Participant Spotlight

By Francoise Ferguson

“Strolling in the park one day, in the merry, merry month of May”. This is how forty years ago, Bill and I met in West Hollywood, CA. In 1962, Bill came to California for a summer of surfing and scuba diving. He never left. Originally from Paris, France, I ended up in LA in 1980. We totally embraced the California lifestyle: beaches, camping, and hiking along the trails from the Pacific Coast Highway to the Santa Monica mountains and concerts al fresco. We enjoyed LA rich cultural diversity from Beverly Hills glitz to Echo Park barrios. But on August 10, 2021, disaster struck: Bill suffered a large basal ganglia stroke. What if, if, if……..? Our family was disseminated from Ohio to Alabama. On a frigid and snowy January day, leaving almost everything behind, we landed in Cleveland to join our son in Westlake. The move was hard on Bill, he got disoriented and started to wander. We needed help and fast. “Check this out ” said our doctor, and handed over a Farrell Foundation flyer. Eighteen months later: “I really like it there, it is fun, when are we going? I like to paint and….the goodies!” said Bill. Art therapy, music, and socialization help Bill tremendously. Bill’s quirky side comes out during “Gentle Moments”, led by Shirley Nelson, a relaxation program which triggers memories and introspection, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!”. As for myself, listening to Dr. Charlie (Dr. Charlie Farrell, co-founder of the Farrell Foundation) talking about his most unwelcome guest “Al”, (short for Alzheimer’s) has been an inspiration. The Farrell Foundation has been pivotal in providing us with the tools, such as support groups and the SHARE program, to facilitate the transition from our previous life to the reality of the present and to plan for the future. My deepest thanks to the Farrell Foundation, dedicated staff and volunteers, but above all, thank you for the happy faces!