The upstairs dayroom in Villa II at West Columbia's Agape Senior campus had been prepared for a presentation. Thirty metal chairs in rows, a table with a projector, laptop, and paperwork were in the front of the room. Next to the table stood a short, determined looking woman whom I discovered was Adelle Stanley. Adelle was waiting for people to show up for her next basic dementia training class. For the last three months Adelle has been traveling the state with a mission and purpose. She has been giving her dementia basic training presentation at every Agape assisted living community, skilled nursing facility, hospice office, doctor's office, insurance office, pharmacy or anywhere else Agape Senior employees can be found.
About five minutes before the scheduled presentation time, people started to arrive. A dietary personnel, maintenance workers, housekeepers, nurses, nursing assistants, med techs—it did not matter, all Agape employees are required to take the class. Adelle started the class at 10:00 a.m.; for the next two hours she took the group on a journey into the world of the dementia patient, a world where logic and reason are not part of the equation, but emotions, human touch, and basic human needs are always present.
It became evident early into the presentation that this was more than a job for Adelle. With emotion in her voice, she talked about how great is the need and expressed her passion for reaching the dementia patient on some level. She is an advocate and she was looking to everyone in the room to become an advocate. Adelle wove in her personal stories from her 19 years of experience with the scripted training and showed how simple acts; slight variations of technique and understanding could change completely the outcome of relating to a dementia patient.
Halfway into the training there was a stunning Power Point slide projected onto the Villa II hallway wall. The slide was a side-by-side comparison of a healthy brain next to a dementia patient's brain. There were large holes and missing sections out of the brain from the dementia patient. I believe my reaction was similar to everyone else's in the room: There is so much missing, how could anyone function with that brain?
As I was thinking this, Adelle walked over to the projected image on the wall and traced her hand along the parts of the dementia brain that were still intact. Adelle turned to face us and quietly said, “But look how much of the brain is still there to work with.” In an instant my mindset was changed. I was now seeing things from a different perspective. I could see how understanding symptoms and behavior could be useful clues for our front-line caregivers. Knowledge is power, but understanding is the key.
The bottom line is that the dementia patient is a human being with feelings and needs. He or she is someone's mother or father, grandmother or grandfather. What is important is our ability to meet each person where he or she is. I found myself wishing that my father had someone like Adelle, or someone trained by Adelle, as he progressed through his six years of dementia prior to his death. I was grateful to Adelle and Agape Senior for giving me the opportunity to attend this important training.
Being a leader in an industry requires a company to provide educational opportunities to its employees. Agape Senior remains committed to following that path. CEO Scott Middleton states, “Our goal is to provide education and training opportunities for all of our employees.Ultimately, I want to have the best trained staff anywhere in the senior care industry.”
Joe B. Nester
West Columbia South Carolina – Agape Senior
Agapé Senior’s mission is to provide integrated health services to meet the needs of senior adults in a faith-based atmosphere. The company’s philosophy is based upon its commitment to provide the best quality care possible for members of our senior adult community. We are committed to participating actively in and around the communities we serve. Call us at 800-411- 2427. Columbia, Forest Acres, Lexington, Irmo, Rock Hill, Laurens, Conway, Garden City, West Columbia
AskAgape.com
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