Summary
Casey Venturini's work aims to raise public awareness that aging is not a disease. Aging need not be feared. Age itself is nothing more than a number. Indeed, aging can and should be a beautiful and welcomed part of a life well-lived. He is passionate about changing the narrative surrounding aging: breaking down stigmas that threaten wellbeing and instead promoting respect and reverence for elders, particularly people living with dementia.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic (2015) and his Master of Arts in Media Innovation in the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. During an international ethnographic research project in 2015 within European communities of dementia care, Venturini discovered the power of community to uphold quality of life for people living with dementia. He was inspired to pivot disciplines away from the molecular genetics of Alzheimer’s disease and toward public health approaches to inclusivity.
Venturini now serves as Assistant Director of the Dementia Engagement, Education and Research (DEER) Program in the School of Public Health at the University, and has been with the DEER Program since 2019. In his role, Venturini also serves as Director of the statewide Dementia Friendly Nevada (DFNV) initiative, which has an institutional home base in the DEER Program. He strongly believes that it is only through the integration of diverse perspectives, the partnership of all stakeholders and an unending commitment to the community that we can achieve a world in which inclusion is truly the norm.
Education
- M.A. in Media Innovation, University of Nevada, Reno
- Social Impact Storytelling Certificate, Georgetown University
- B.A. in Human Ecology, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME