For those who move family members with dementia to nursing homes, the way their relative is cared for is of utmost importance. The New York City Chapter, in its commitment to ensure the highest quality of care for persons with dementia, provided a forum for the discussion of best care practices. On December 6, 2007, 65 participants from eight nursing homes in the city came together for the First Annual Nursing Home Conference, “Working Together to Improve Care for Residents with Dementia and their Families.” Speakers included Chapter staff and members of the Nursing Home Task Force, which works to further cooperation between the Chapter and nursing homes throughout the city to improve care for those with dementia.

Gay Wachman & Paulette Michaud

The all-day Conference began with a welcome from Lou-Ellen Barkan, Chapter President and CEO, and Jed Levine, Executive Vice President and Director of Programs and Services. The morning session followed, with a special keynote address — a conversation between Paulette Michaud, Director of Early-Stage Services, and Gay Wachman, who has early-stage memory loss. Ms. Wachman’s willingness to share her personal story so openly was mentioned in many of the program evaluations as the highlight of the Conference. Most of the attendees had never had the opportunity to hear from someone diagnosed with early-stage memory loss. They often meet people who have dementia at later stages, and this exposure reinforced the importance of knowing the person behind the disease.

Six workshops, with the goal of enhancing the knowledge and skills of the healthcare professionals and better enabling them to meet their everyday challenges of dementia care, followed the morning presentation and were repeated in the afternoon. The topics included “Sexual Expression in Residents with Dementia,” “Connecting with the Person with Dementia: Effective Communication With and Without Words,” and “Continuing the Principles of Person-Centered Care through the Late-Stage and End of Life.” Participants described the workshops as “amazing and informative,” “thought-provoking,” and “immediately useful.”

After lunch, Eileen Carey, a registered Yoga Instructor at Schervier Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center kicked off the afternoon session with a presentation, “Taking Care of Yourself While Taking Care of Others,” a demonstration of techniques to help attendees relax, restore and reconnect with themselves and their patients.

Underscoring the Chapter’s commitment to ensure quality of care, Jed Levine made a closing presentation, “Who We Are and How We Can Help,” outlining the programs and services the Chapter provides to help nursing homes and families.

The tremendous success of the Conference, as witnessed by the number of attendees and the positive feedback, has set the stage for next year. Planning has already begun!

— Karen Holland

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