As we are all aware, dementia can have an effect on anyone at any age. It shows no
mercy stripping loved one’s memories or taking away their abilities to do the simplest tasks. Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury’s (SVWC) leadership team wanted to be sure that our residents receive the utmost quality of care from staff members in every department on campus. Thanks to a generous undesignated gift to SVWC’s Foundation, management chose to utilize the Positive Approach to Care (PAC), created by Teepa Snow, for mandatory staff training.
Teepa is an occupational therapist with forty years of clinical practice experience and is atop educator on dementia and the care that should accompany it. As one of the world’s leading educators on dementia, she founded Positive Approach to Care (PAC), a company that provides care training, services, and products to help change the culture of dementia care, one mind at a time.
PAC training began at SVWC in May with three trainers from Teepa Snow’s organization. It included three trainers, six coaches, and three members of the leadership team from SVWC. The whirlwind curriculum concluded in June with three-days of intensive training. The PAC training for the rest of the staff continued over six months beginning in July, with completion in December. During training, staff was taught the GEMS model, a positive approach to looking at those persons living with dementia. It focuses on the person as precious and unique, and the person is at the core of the model. This emphasizes SVWC’s person-directed care focus. The GEMS model focuses on the abilities that someone still has, and not the loss they have encountered.
SVWC’s strategic plan includes being a center of excellence for dementia care. PAC training will help our staff in excelling at taking care of our residents, continuing to be dementia inclusive and striving to be dementia friendly and sensitive. The training will provide further tools to assist in everyday interactions with our residents. We will also be able to partner with other communities to offer resources and expertise. What an excellent opportunity for SVWC to grow and continue to be at the center of dementia care practices.
The highlight of the training was meeting Teepa Snow in person when she visited SVWC’s campus on Friday, January 11 to interact with staff members for two hours. Teepa’s high energy, passionate delivery kept the audience engaged and on their toes. That afternoon, she presented to the public, on the campus of Lord Fairfax Community College. Over 300 attendees had the privilege of hearing Teepa’s story and learning how her PAC training works to enhance the lives of dementia patients as well as their caretakers.
Teepa Snow is living proof that one person can make an enormous difference. This entire process was made possible by a gift and a simple conversation about the donor’s hopes and dreams. The impact of this gift will bless our SVWC residents living with dementia, and our staff who assist in their care, for many, many years to come. For further information, contact Kitty Zuckerman, Marketing Specialist at 540-665-5915.
