Photograph College students Current Dementia Research Mission at Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research

LOGAN, Utah — Three Utah State University images college students are utilizing visible storytelling to discover the human facet of Alzheimer’s illness and dementia.

Third-year college students Hazel Harris-Staples and Tye Statham and fourth-year pupil Kjrstine Landaverde lately offered their ongoing documentary venture on the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research.

The venture explores the lived experiences of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia and the relationships they’ve with their caregivers.

“We aim to foster empathy and deeper understanding around this issue. It is not only about the diagnosis,” Associate Professor Fazilat Soukhakian mentioned. “It’s about the relationships, the caregivers and how families continue to live, adapt and support one another.”

The analysis started in fall 2025 when Soukhakian obtained a catalyst program grant from USU’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Research Center to facilitate new analysis on Alzheimer’s illness and associated dementias.

“The center conducts extensive scientific research which is incredibly important,” Soukhakian mentioned. “At the same time, we wanted to explore a different kind of work, one that uses art and storytelling to share the human experiences behind the diagnosis. Art has the ability to communicate these stories in a way that fosters empathy and a deeper understanding of dementia.”

The venture will finally embrace documentary images, filmed interviews and a brief video element, with hopes for a future exhibition.

Currently, the crew is documenting the story of Dave and Jerilyn Perkins, a pair dwelling within the Salt Lake City space, the place Dave has been dwelling with dementia for about 5 years and Jerilyn serves as his main caregiver.

“Going into this project, whenever I thought of Alzheimer’s or dementia, I pictured someone slipping away or not being who they used to be,” Harris-Staples mentioned. “Through this project, we’re really trying to humanize that and focus on the relationship between the person living with the disease and their caregiver.”

The college students expressed their expanded view of Alzheimer’s and Dementia by way of their visits with the couple.

“Every time we interviewed Dave, he kept saying, ‘I’m as happy as I can be, and I’m doing what I want to be doing in life,’” Statham mentioned. “Even when we asked about the difficult parts, he chose to focus on that perspective.”

The crew hopes to showcase the significant relationships and experiences quite than simply the challenges.

“We’re trying to show that this isn’t just one kind of experience, it’s a transition into a different stage of life, and the relationships between people and their caregivers are still able to be unique and meaningful,” Landaverde mentioned.

While the analysis continues to be ongoing, group members offered their venture on the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research on Feb. 27, the place they shared images from the venture and mentioned the storytelling course of and targets.

“I think it’s important, coming from the arts, to show that this is also research,” Harris-Staples mentioned. “When people think of research they think of beakers and lab coats, but storytelling and photography are another way to explore important issues and share people’s experiences.”

For extra details about the USU images program, go to the website. To be taught extra in regards to the Research Catalyst program by way of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Research Center, go to the webpage.