About
About Dementia Letters Project and Kathryne Fassbender
A Volunteer. A Family Caregiver. A Student. A Care Professional.
Over the last 25 years, Kate has held these roles, each one leaving a mark on how she assists others living with a diagnosis and supporting those on their care team. By providing the education each staff member and loved one needs to understand the disease, its quirks, and how we can work together, we have a chance to live well with dementia.
The Dementia Letters Project started in 2015, and offers full dementia training for care communities and organizations, Life Enrichment Team Development Training, and Arts and Aging programs such as Memory Cafés, Arts Access, and Educational Theatre. In 2018 she founded the Connect + Create Institute to provide stronger educational AND community experiences for professional care staff. Kate also travels the country speaking at events and conferences.
The Dementia Letters Project found its start as a Life Enrichment and PenPal program for those living with dementia in an Assisted Living or receiving care at home. This program still exists and is available upon request.
Who Am I
Meet Kathryne (Kate) Fassbender
Creative work in eldercare is what I was uniquely created to do with my time and talent. I am part artist, part educator, and I find joy in accompanying others along this dementia journey.
I believe dementia is not a death sentence, a reason to squash dignity, purpose, and joy, nor an eraser that eliminates the beauty of life. But it is also not a reason to fear suffering, and “shush” conversations about the real trials we face. Whether you have the diagnosis yourself or are a care partner, I seek to walk with you through the trials and triumphs of this life.
My experiences as both a family and professional care partner have allowed me to dream big, to put out into the deep and imagine a better world for those on the dementia journey.
In addition to the Dementia Letters Project, I am also the founder and Executive Director of The Hem of Christ, a non-profit seeking to accompany those living with dementia in their relationship with Christ. I also serve as a GIVEN Institute Mentor, and work as a scenic artist for community and school theatre.
A Wisconsin native, I returned to Wisconsin in 2026 after living on the East Coast for 16 years. My return home brought with it the invitation to better balance the roles of educator and artist. For, one cannot teach the craft, unless one is also practicing their craft. I look forward to working with clients in new and greater ways.
When I am not working you can find me playing tennis, meandering through an art museum, making a mess in the kitchen trying out a new recipe or sitting along Lake Michigan.
Partners Past and Present
