It’s Apple Season! A time for that idyllic apple orchard photoshoot, apple pie, applesauce, apple crumble, apple cider, and well, just sitting down with some good old eating apples. Memories flood my mind of times of heading over to Star Orchard with my grandma and my parents. Of running into my grandmother’s and being filledContinue reading “Apple Season!”
Category Archives: Dementia Compass
The Shock!
Do we create a stigma or magnify a problem simply so we can look like the heroes, the problem solvers, the “magic makers?” I think we do. How often do we come across an interview or article written to highlight a care community’s, “unique and innovative model” or hype up their marketing and public perception?Continue reading “The Shock!”
The Glory of God is a Human Fully Alive
Do we truly believe that an individual with dementia can be fully alive? I think most of us would answer a resounding, YES!, but do our actions back that “yes” up? I think we fall short on that “yes” time and time again. Heck, replace “dementia” with “older adult,” and I think we fail yetContinue reading “The Glory of God is a Human Fully Alive”
Innovation Over Fear
When I think of all that is wrong with aging and dementia care, the list is long, both specific and vague, and quite frankly, overwhelming. I think of how stale this industry has become. How afraid we are of changing what has been even when we know it is not working. We hide behind certificationsContinue reading “Innovation Over Fear”
A Person-Centered Invitation
Over 20 years ago, Tom Kitwood introduced the world to Person-Centered Care. That was in 1997. It is now 2021. Where have we taken his invitation? Person-centered care has become a buzzword, a warm fuzzy to slap on a marketing brochure or announce at a conference, or talk about in a YouTube video. Yet, areContinue reading “A Person-Centered Invitation”
For A Time Such As This
We were created for a time such as this, to dream and to hope, to find joy and to allow ourselves to mourn. The world has been through darker times, so we frequently hear, and that does not always help. But we have the strength of our human spirit, and we can see the light along this unknown journey, and together we will walk to support each other, to encourage each other, and to live during a time such as this.
We Need Others!
At every stage of life, we need people for different reasons, and we all enjoy the feeling of being needed, it is part of our human nature. So, for this to happen, we also need to need others. We are linked. We are necessary to each other. We need a community of family, friends, care and health professionals, and neighbors.
Making 2021 Better
There is a lot out of our control, but there is a lot we can control. What can we control?
What is Missing in Our Accessibility Statements?
Many organizations have “Accessibility Statements” on their websites and in their literature, but have you noticed what I have noticed?
How do We Value Our Care Communities?
I wonder if the industry is paralyzed by fear and the judgment of what the community and industry will think of who they are as an organization and care community? I wonder if we fear to look like a stereotype or will be judged if we don’t have a chandelier in our entryway?