In recent weeks, the Dementia Spring community lost one of its founding fathers, Ira G. Asherman.
Ira passed quietly at home, surrounded by family, after a prolonged battle with cancer that exceeded his oncologist’s expectations for survival, which should surprise no one who knew him well.
Advocate for the Arts in Dementia Care
A stalwart supporter of the arts in dementia care, Ira’s experience with his wife of over 40 years, Sandy Asherman, who is living with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, fueled their passion for creating spaces where those living with dementia were welcome to come, view, and engage with art around New York City. Around 2016, he and Sandy founded the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Resource Center in New York City, an organization dedicated to supporting caregivers and the dementia community.
It was their focus on the arts as a safe and effective treatment for Sandy’s cognitive decline that inspired Dementia Spring co-founders Sisi and Marc Rothman to create the Foundation in 2020. Leaving behind a legacy of advocacy, Ira’s passion, leadership, and unwavering love and devotion will continue to live on in the organizations he helped to build.
“I think part of what we’re faced with is encouraging people to help and to be there for us and to be supportive of us and to tell our story. And I think art can help us to tell our story,” Ira said in a 2023 interview for Community Connections.
Consultant, Author, Partner
An avid writer, Ira consistently put pen to paper to share his story with others. It is a trait that he and Sandy shared. Together, they penned a number of books on the art of negotiation and teamwork, complementing their more than 40 years as management consultants, before concluding their careers at Asherman Associates. Their books include Negotiation Effectiveness Profile and The Negotiation Sourcebook.
When it comes to sharing their story of dementia, Ira again reached for his pen: “Slowly but surely, I am losing the woman I love and married some forty plus years ago,” Ira wrote in an article published to Being Patient.
Ira reflected on this in the 2023 interview:
“I enjoy the writing, and it’s a way for me to talk to myself, and talk to others, about what’s going on. It’s a way for me to, I guess, for lack of a better term, to tell my story. And hopefully others might benefit from that story.”
From participating and organizing support groups to advocating directly with major organizations to create spaces for those living with dementia through the ADRC, Ira discussed the big problems surrounding dementia care and offered solutions. His experiences would help to inform the article Men Are Stepping Up as Dementia Caregivers by Dr. Rothman.
“The more this disease goes on, the more you’re on this journey, the lonelier it becomes,” Ira said in 2023.
Help & Take Action
“…art can help create a moment for people that encourages them to help and to do,” Ira said in that same interview. We will continue to honor Ira’s memory by advocating for the artists and arts programs who bring such joy and creativity to the dementia community every day.
In loving memory of Ira Asherman.
