The Hearthstone "I'm Still Here" Foundation was founded in 1995 to support
the care and treatment of the five million people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the
United States and their caregivers-both family and professional.

The foundation supports the excellent work carried out by the Alzheimer's Association nationally and locally, and both public and private funding for a cure for this terrible disease. The Hearthstone "I'm Still Here" Foundation focuses on what these funding sources tend to put on a back burner - the non-pharmacologic treatment approaches that can immediately improve the quality of the lives of those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers.

The ideas behind non-pharmacologic  The term "non-pharmacologic" does not mean that drug treatments are avoided. Rather in the view of the Foundation these are best coordinated moderately with other proven non-pharmacological treatment modalities including: environmental design, therapeutic gardens, care giver communication training, family awareness and participation in care giving, alternative health care, diet, and exercise.

Exploratory studies  The Foundation supports both exploratory studies in these areas, as well as focused research. Since many of these interventions can only be studied in actual settings, the Foundation entertains a broad range of scientific research approaches suitable to this subject matter-including action research models of inquiry. As such, the Foundation's mission also includes direct support to develop non-pharmacologic treatment projects that include an evaluation component.   

Education of caregivers  The Foundation also supports education of caregivers and professionals in non-pharmacologic approaches. There are many successful projects that few know about. The Foundation supports highlighting these contributions to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, through competitions, publications, and other media exposure.  
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