The Cognitive-Communication in Aging and Neurogenic Disorders Laboratory (CCANDL) has been awarded the Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment seed grant for their project Improving Communication Quality of Life for Individuals with Memory Loss. Through this project we aim to determine the feasibility of the use of short speech samples as a sensitive and valuable tool to measure cognitive and functional change across varying stages of cognitive decline in the clinical setting. Second, we aim to translate evidence into practice: namely, to provide individuals with the tools and resources they need to effectively communicate with their loved ones throughout the Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) continuum, a crucial aspect of quality of life for both individuals and their caregivers. We are excited to use this opportunity to spread the word about Speech-language pathology, the Baldwin endowment, and the Wisconsin Idea! Special thanks to Cassandra Peters for taking the lead on writing the grant application – well done, Cassi!