July 17, 2025
Dear Dementia,
May I go on a tangent?
What is with people thinking certifications and marketing slogans equal quality care? I have NEVER met someone where their certification for themselves or their skilled care home made them better at ANYTHING! We chase our tails and ignore people who are actually qualified and skilled at accompanying you, and for what? A warm fuzzy? A slicker marketing campaign? I understand that the massive regulations in elder care and criticism of families drives some of this, but what if we allowed ourselves to breath and actually hire the people who have a heart of this work regardless of if they have their Masters or CDP. What if we let go of that dementia certification and focused on what it means to truly offer person centered care?
I am working with a group right now that are so intense on getting a certification they can’t see the humanity of the people before them. They are slipping back into stereotypes instead of providing dignified care. Their activities staff is offering program that mean nothing but fill the “perfect” picture they administrators see for that unit.
I will get flack for saying these things. I will be told I am uniformed, or that I don’t get it. I will be seen as many things, most of them derogatory, yet I will stand here and defend this letter. Sometimes we need to ignore formal education and just get our hands dirty.
Until tomorrow,
Kate
