In 2007 at the age of 58, Jim Mann was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. The former airline employee works daily to cope with a disease that could be better managed, he says, if researchers and companies that make assistive technologies better understood the daily challenges facing older adults with dementia, and their caregivers and families. Mann works to bridge the divide between design and practice as the Alzheimer’s advocate at the Aging Gracefully across Environments using Technology to Support Wellness, Engagement and Long Life NCE, where he helps review proposals and shape the network’s investment decisions. Listening to and engaging with technology users through all stages of the development process is core to AGE-WELL’s mission.