July 31, 2025 • 42 mins
Send me your feedback on this episode!
In this episode of Aspire for More with Erin, we’re diving deep into the future of dementia education and staff training with two powerhouse guests:
Dr. Jennifer Stelter, Founder & CEO of the Dementia Connection Institute
Natalie Kravitz, Director of Engagement Operations at Activity Connection and Dementia Connection Institute Ambassador
Together, they explore what’s broken in today’s dementia education—and how it can be transformed.
You’ll learn:
- Why most dementia training fails to create real change
- How the Dementia Connection Model combines evidence-based tools with caregiver empowerment
- The measurable ROI of strategic, proactive training (like $9K saved in 3 months!)
- How communities can shift from reactive to proactive care by investing in mindset, training, and storytelling
- What “social prescribing” means—and why it might be better than medications
Whether you're a senior living leader, caregiver, or changemaker—this episode offers real tools, real data, and real transformation.
Plus, hear how to get certified as a Dementia Connection Specialist and receive a special 10% discount code: AL10 for the September virtual training.
Learn more: dementiaconnectioninstitute.org
New ED's Playbook to Creating and IMpactful Community Cultrue
Connect with me on LinkedIn
Follow me on Facebook where I educate, equip and empower family members how to proactively care for their elderly loved ones.
Follow me on Instagram where I educate, equip and empower family members how to proactively care for their elderly loved ones.
Join my email list where I will lift you up, and send tactile advice weekly to support you to grow your experience in your senior living career.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Erin (00:00):
I'm so excited to welcome you to today's episode of The
Aspire for More with Erinpodcast, where we have two
esteemed guests, Dr.
Jennifer Stelter, the founderand CEO of Dementia Connection
Institute, as well as NatalieKravitz, who is the Director of
Engagement Operations atActivity Connection and Dementia
Connection Institute Ambassador.
(00:21):
This is a unique combination.
So welcome, welcome both of you.
I'm excited to see where thisconversation goes.
Dr. Jennifer (00:29):
Thank you so much for having us.
We appreciate it.
Thank you.
Yes.
Erin (00:33):
So, we gotta get into some unique stories, how dementia
education and activityconnection comes together, and
the unique, way that it is,maybe not totally together, but
the way that you guys worktogether is really important.
So, Dr.
Jennifer.
Can you give us a little bitabout your story and then we'll
(00:53):
kick it off after you, Nataliecan kick it off with her story.
Dr. Jennifer (00:58):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for having usagain.
So, what's interesting is a lotof people ask me, why did you
get into dementia care to beginwith?
did you have a loved one?
You had dementia?
And I say, actually.
No, at least not initially.
I started off in the healthcarespace as a clinical psychologist
and working in a wide variety ofsettings.
(01:21):
I fell into senior living likemany of us do, and they really
needed a.
a full revamp of a memory careprogram for a company that I was
consulting with.
And so I started off inbehavioral health for that
company and then they whisked meaway over to the dementia care
side.
And I have not looked back eversince.
(01:42):
I absolutely fell in love withworking with individuals, with
brain changes, their families,the staff, and I had the.
Unbelievable opportunity torevamp everything from the
ground up, from policies toassessments and programming, the
environment.
We had some new build outs whereI could create everything from
(02:03):
scratch.
It was just really an amazingopportunity with this company,
and that's really where Ilearned a lot about the dementia
care industry.
And from there it I fastforwarded into, research and
development, and I was able tocreate a new model of care that
is called the DementiaConnection Model.
(02:23):
And that was launched into theindustry in 2021 after I wrote a
book with Johns HopkinsUniversity really displaying the
data and the information aroundwhat made this model of care so
successful.
In the interim of all of this, Idid have a grandmother-in-law
who developed Alzheimer'sdisease, so I was an asset to
the family as well as I had anaging grandfather.
(02:45):
Who did pass away at his 99thbirthday, and he was my muse for
everything, with regards to allof this.
And so just very grateful forthose experiences and that's
really why I got into dementiacare.
And I, from there developed acompany called the Dementia
Connection Institute, and I'vereally dedicated the rest of my
career to this.
So just really love the workthat I do.
Erin (03:08):
Yeah, there's so many questions there, but we gotta
get into Natalie.
We gotta figure out.
And for those who are justlistening and cannot see, she is
wearing a cowboy hat.
It looks like a cowboy hat, butmaybe not.
'cause it's a flat rim and Idon't know the proper term for
that.
And then she's got a whiteChristmas tree with a disco ball
(03:28):
on top with a black bow.
So we're talking about dementiaconnection today.
But the fact that she is anactivity minded person is very
present in the room.
Natalie, take us away.
Natalie (03:42):
Thank you, Erin.
Uh, I just wanna echo, I'm soexcited to be here.
So thank you so much for thisopportunity, to, to speak to
your listeners and youraudience.
My story started back.
When I was in high school, mygreat-grandmother had
Alzheimer's, and at first wejust noticed a few different
(04:04):
changes and then it, it reallybecame where we realized we
needed to help transition her incloser to family and into our
home.
And that's really when I firstexperienced behavioral cognitive
changes through the dementiadisease.
And.
A couple years later, as I wasworking on my undergrad and was
(04:28):
doing my capstone experience, Iwanted to do a research study
on.
The correlation of quality oflife versus quality of care, and
that's really when I started tosee what meaningful connection
and meaningful engagement can doto an individual living in a
senior community.
(04:49):
We know personally how much it,it can affect ourselves, but to
see it used appropriately in a,in a particular approach,
changes everything and how thatinteraction is done.
As we work with our residents.
And so that's really when Ifirst got a glimpse of that
impactful work.
(05:10):
And then shortly I got into thefield of, activities and that's
when I really started to see howtraining and education is
powerful and empowering for anindividual.
And I've been in the field for20 years since.
Erin (05:30):
Yeah, it's true.
So Natalie, what do you seesince you've been in the field
and you support lots ofcommunities and you have
throughout your career, throughthe activity space, which I
think encapsulates a lot ofmemory care, and you're also an
ambassador for the DementiaConnection Institute.
What do you see are the biggestgaps?
(05:52):
From, based on your experiencein that capstone project that
you did, that most seniorliving, most senior living
communities approach dementiaeducation today.
Like what are the biggest gaps?
Natalie (06:05):
I foresee how.
Some of the trainings are verygeneralized.
I don't feel that that approachcan make as much of an impact as
some other trainingopportunities where it's more
hands-on.
It's more practical skills.
It's a set of tools that aregiven to a staff member or even
(06:27):
a caregiver themselves as theywork with their loved ones.
but where you can see that gapis because I feel like they're
very generalized.
Erin (06:39):
Yeah.
Seriously.
I mean, Dr.
Jennifer, you wrote and threwaway the book, a generalized
book, I'm sure of, of acommunity, and you created
something more.
Customized to the progression ofthe disease, to family
expectation, potentially to,lots of very meaningful
(07:01):
understanding of the diseaseprocess.
How, I think of it from how canyou scale detail, obviously you
did that, you created aninstitute.
So I'm fascinated by thatprocess.
So why, why are the stakes sohigh?
How did you do that?
take us through that processbecause I'm curious about that.
Dr. Jennifer (07:22):
Absolutely.
I mean, having worked in seniorliving for so many years, you
see what people do to traintheir staff and to mirror what
Natalie was saying is,unfortunately there's still a
lot of communities that areusing more so computer-based
training, uh, to meet, regulate,regulatory expectations, but
they're not taking it beyondthat.
(07:43):
It's like this have tomentality.
we have to do so many hours andit has to be, in regards to
these, particular subjects.
And so we're gonna make surethat there's an online platform
that can do that, and we checkthe boxes and we move on, But
there's no sense of applicationfrom what they're learning to
real life.
If there's questions that thestaff members have, there's
(08:05):
nobody there to really answerthem.
and oftentimes, to be honestwith you, because I've had this
experience with many staffmembers, as you just see them
clicking through to the nextscreen to get to the quiz so
they can pass.
What, and if they don't pass,they get to take it again.
And so it's not reallybeneficial, and I, part of this
journey of developing theinstitute and.
(08:27):
More specifically theevidence-based curriculum that
we use to certify individuals asdementia connection specialists,
whether you're a family member,whether you're a healthcare
professional, or a largerorganization, The idea here was
to look at what are the painpoints, What are these gaps?
And one thing that we alsodiscovered was a lot of people.
(08:49):
That take dementia training, sayit's boring.
And when it's boring, theyaren't able to retain it.
and more importantly, they can'tapply it than to their
day-to-day caregiving skills,
Natalie (09:01):
Mm-hmm.
Dr. Jennifer (09:02):
And so with that said, taking a look at the fact
that it's boring, it's notmeaningful, It's quick and,
there's no resolution to, whatcomes next after that training.
We have to be able to maketraining more impactful for
those caregivers and caregiversof all education levels from all
walks of life, Uh, differentlanguages they may speak.
(09:25):
They have to understand thisbecause I truly believe, and
I've been saying this for a longtime.
That we have to understand thedisease in order to provide good
quality dementia care.
And so how this developed was,I, I was a trainer for other
types of certifications previousto this.
And, of course doing hours andhours of training with so many
(09:47):
staff members and families andcommunity members and things
like that, was something where,how can we make this.
Type of training meaningful.
How can we make itevidence-based?
How can we make it impactfulenough that they're gonna take
the information, apply whatthey're learning?
And so taking all the tools thatI've learned over the years, and
(10:09):
knowing that.
Caregivers, whether you're afamily member, whether you're a
healthcare professional, youneed real tools in your hands to
do this, Having an understandingof dementia is really important,
and again, as I mentioned, youneed to understand the disease
process, but it's hard tomemorize, step-by-step processes
Significance of this means that,and therefore when I'm
(10:32):
caregiving, I have to recallthat in order to use it.
And that's very hard for people.
So when I developed the DementiaConnections Specialist
Certification program.
It was really to put true toolsin people's hands, And giving
them the research behind why itworks, People have to understand
the why in order to reallybelieve in what it is, To have
(10:53):
that buy-in effect.
And developing the curriculumwas to say, okay, we're not only
going to.
Give you the content materialaround it, but we're actually
gonna put physical tools in yourhand so when we train, you
actually get a toolbox withsample tools to use throughout
the training and to usethereafter as well.
So it really is a process andunderstanding that people need,
(11:14):
to understand why they're doingthis.
They need to understand what'shappening as the disease
progresses.
And having those physical toolsin their hands can make a huge
difference.
And so that's really, reallycame about as to why I wanted
develop my own curriculum.
and so it evolved into a sixhour class, that can be done
virtually or in person, andreally It now is across the
(11:36):
globe.
We're training people from, theEast coast to the West coast,
and we have folks taking ourtraining overseas now, which is
unbelievable.
We're quickly growing.
We understand we're not the onlycertification option out there.
So we want people to understandthe relevancy behind why we are
doing what we're doing, and toknow that it's an more so easy
(11:56):
and more applicable process andmodel of care that people can
wrap their head hands around andheads around.
So we're really excited to bringit to market, and continue to,
to show people what it's allabout.
Erin (12:07):
Yeah, I, I do think.
Senior living in general haslost or hasn't quite understood
maybe the application componentof learning.
Yes.
we've done the generic onlinetraining.
We've done, that for years, andwe, if it is boring you, you're
we don't retain it.
(12:28):
We don't do the, Go and work andthen come back and let's talk
about it.
We talk about it and then weexpect people to do it, and then
we get angry when they don't.
Mm-hmm.
or frustrated, maybe angry isnot the term, but it is the
application piece.
You know, I do my own, newexecutive director training and
(12:49):
when I invested in myself withthe coach, it was the
application piece.
That really propelled my growthbecause fear keeps people from
moving forward.
But if you know that there'ssomebody who just wants to know
how you're doing, or, coming into check on you and, and, or
(13:11):
somebody who cares enough tolisten to some things that were,
standing in your way, then thatapplication piece becomes part
of growth.
And when people can.
Can talk it out like when nexttime you have this incident with
a resident who's saying this toyou or doing this to you, try
this.
Mm-hmm.
(13:32):
Being able to use even virtualtrainings to imply application
uses is really important.
Dr. Jennifer (13:40):
Absolutely.
And
Erin (13:41):
I think that's certainly a very different type of training
than we're used to.
on that note, how is itdifferent?
Because I assume there is avirtual component to it, just
like there would be on othertraining, platforms that senior
livings use.
How is the Dementia ConnectionInstitute training different
(14:03):
from, the generic ones thatwe're talking about?
Dr. Jennifer (14:07):
Absolutely.
So it's really takes a deeperdive into the disease process.
So not only will they learn acourse about what is dementia
and some of the very importantinformation around the disease
process from a.
Prognosis to progression to thetreatment modalities that are
available right now.
(14:27):
what we pride ourselves on ishaving the most up-to-date
information for our trainers touse when they're training with
the curriculum that they'reimplementing.
And so even the latest researchout with the newest blood test
that they have come out with todictate whether or not the
individual has a higher level ofprotein that would equate to
(14:47):
having Alzheimer's disease.
That information is in our slidedeck, And comparative to other
types of live trainings.
sometimes the trainers arewaiting.
A year, maybe even two years,for the next version of their
trainer's manual to come out.
And all this new research isforever coming out because we're
still learning more and moreabout dementia every day, So
(15:09):
with our training, our trainerscan feel confident that they're
providing the, the latestinformation that's out there.
what also sets us apart is thatwe have a very easy process to
certify.
So there's a online applicationthat is required as part of it.
They take the course, they passa very fun test.
It's a test made up of braingames, No longer is it just your
(15:32):
traditional, all multiple choiceor true false.
our folks are doing, wordmatching and things like that,
ways to exercise their brain aswe are trying to emphasize to
the folks taking this coursethat you need to take care of
yourself as well.
And we actually have a wholehour on self-care that we end
the curriculum with.
Again, very different from a lotof other, uh, dementia trainings
(15:52):
out the.
Are focusing on the caregiverthemselves Yes.
Is vital to this process.
We can't forget about them.
So they're doing brain games aspart of their competency test.
Very fun.
And then they're certified fortwo years, which is amazing.
So there's no extra steps whenit comes to certifying.
the other thing that makes usvery.
I would say more exceptionallydifferent than a lot of other
(16:12):
trainings is that we'reevidence-based.
Everything we provide, there'sbeen research that shows that
proves it.
And so we do have a referencelist that people can ask, to
look at, you know, what we'reusing.
Um, but we do talk about each ofthe studies as we go through so
people know.
Why do we suggest certain toolsthat they should use, and how
should they proceed with thesetools?
(16:34):
Um, so we pride ourselves onmaking sure that what we're
saying is evidence-based Now.
When they're taking a deeperdive into dementia, again, what
sets us apart is that they learnabout the research behind the
Dementia connection model, whichis the Johns Hopkins University
Press approved model of carethat we are really looking to
educate people on so they canuse it every day.
(16:56):
And what they do is they learnhow to apply this model of care
to every aspect of dementiacare, from how to communicate
effectively to.
Handling some of the mostchallenging behavioral
expressions out there, tohands-on a DL care, to, of
course, how to engage someonefrom the aspect of more, social
(17:19):
prescribing.
Versus prescribing medications,Mm-hmm.
So really focusing on thenon-pharmacological piece to
dementia care rather than alwaysusing medication.
Now, people who take thiscourse, they learn the basics
around why we would use certainmedications, but most of the
courses focused on thoseholistic tools that they can use
(17:40):
every single day.
So those are just a few.
There's many reasons why we aredifferent from a lot of other
dementia trainings out there.
As you mentioned the person canselect if they want virtual,
like if they wanna take it intheir comfort of their office or
their home, it is still a livetraining.
or they can choose an in-personthat's in the community.
(18:01):
But we do also offer corporateprivate training too, coming
into a community or maybe a homecare agency and providing that
training too.
So we wanna make sure that wecan accommodate everyone based
on what their training needsare.
Erin (18:14):
That's.
That's really good.
That's good stuff.
Natalie, can you share likesuccess stories?
'cause obviously you're anambassador, so you're doing some
of this training.
what is, we, we have thefounder, the creator, the
passionate stories behind it,and now.
In as an ambassador, what do yousee when you train people on
(18:40):
this?
What are some of your successstories?
Natalie (18:44):
Yeah, so again, as I mentioned, knowledge is power
and when the staff have thatknowledge, they can do things
differently.
And so I've seen communities beable to restructure their whole
day.
Based on the evidence-basedtools that we provide.
To the participants in thecertification course to learn
(19:05):
how to adapt and modify thingsthat help meet the residents
where they are.
a good example is, in theafternoon when a resident is
sundowning, being able tounderstand what might trigger
different behavioral responsesand what can be done to help
decrease that.
and so those are just a few waysthat we have seen how
(19:28):
communities.
Are able to change the way thatthey structure their day
Dr. Jennifer (19:33):
I can add to that too.
Yeah.
when you talk about likesundowning as the example, It's,
typically, not everyone, but wesee of course still high levels
of antipsychotic use and.
Anti-anxiety use, uh, forsundowning behaviors, which is
not necessarily appropriatebecause we know that there's a
lot of side effects to thesepsychotropic medications.
(19:54):
But that's a bandaid effect.
Once those wear off, theindividual's still gonna be in
that state.
And so it's teaching thecaregivers really about using
holistic tools like potentiallydiffusing lavender essential
oil.
There's thousands of clinicaltrials on why lavender works for
sundowning, It's implementingtactile tools that have a
(20:16):
grounding effect.
It lowers anxiety and fear, andincreases attention and
concentration playing non byHarmon music, And this is all
strategic as, as Natalie hadsaid, We're gonna schedule this
into their afternoon, about 30minutes prior to their regular
sundown time.
And if they're in a community,usually the residents sundown
(20:38):
altogether.
And so 30 minutes prior to thatgroup, sundowning time, we're
gonna be proactive, notreactive.
We're gonna be proactive aboutbringing in these tools to hope
to mitigate sundowningaltogether.
And in my own practice, I'vebeen able to do this time and
time again by having this as amore scheduled routine.
This is what we call, more so ofthis under the umbrella of
(21:00):
social prescribing.
Its prescriptive engagement.
It's prescribing engaging toolsthat will minimize these more
difficult symptoms of dementia,where it's helping them to feel
at ease every single day.
And what's amazing about thesetools and about the model of
care is that not only do theyhave an immediate effect, these
(21:21):
can start to work within 22seconds based on the physiology
of our brain, but also it has along-term effect.
People with dementia, they startto learn what these sensory
based tools mean.
And what I've been able to showis that in about a month, if we
use the same tools every day atthe same time, once they see
these tools and or they hear orsmell these tools, they learn,
(21:44):
ah.
Their body starts to calm itselfbecause of the physiology of how
our brain works.
Right.
It's amazing.
So
Natalie (21:54):
it's,
Dr. Jennifer (21:54):
yeah.
To piggyback on what Nataliesaid, it's so strategic that we
can prescribe these engagingtools rather than prescribing
medications.
Erin (22:03):
Yeah.
Talk about a mindset shift.
Yes.
I mean, talk about a culturalshift, really.
Yes.
You know?
Yeah.
It's a.
that's a big deal.
Everybody always wants to knowthe ROI.
What is the return oninvestment?
education is hard to quantifysometimes.
You know, do you have a standardanswer, a model, something that
(22:24):
you can say like, here is what Ihave seen as the ROI When
companies invest in this type oftraining for their communities.
Dr. Jennifer (22:36):
Absolutely.
I wanna start talk generally andthen I'll talk more specifically
about what we found with thedementia connection model.
But I was actually listening toa webinar yesterday, A CEO of a
very prestigious senior livingcommunity, and he said, about
nine months ago we reallyinvested in staff training.
We have seen an unbelievableshift in not only, of course,
(22:58):
staff retention.
He said they're over 80% now,which is the highest they have
been since the pandemic byinvesting in staff training.
They also saw, I think they're,he said they're over like 95% in
census.
And have been able to maintainthat for quite a long time
(23:20):
because of the investment instaff training.
So they really took the idea oflike, nine months we're gonna
invest in this.
And they've seen.
Again, over 90% in occupancy,they have seen over 80% in staff
retention.
he saw an improvement in theirclinical outcomes.
so that's just general.
Just to share with you, as ofyesterday, a webinar that I was
(23:41):
listening in on, with theDementia Connection model, we
have some true evidence and thisis actually published in my book
through Johns Hopkins.
that book is called The BusyCaregivers Guide to Advance.
Alzheimer's disease, long title,but can be found anywhere where
you, find books.
but essentially in here we lookat what I did was to really
control the data around, the useof the dementia connection
(24:05):
model.
I implemented the model of carein a wellness dining program.
In a assisted living memory carefor three months.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And this was back in 2016.
I'm proud to say that we arecurrently actually redoing this
now with four communities thatare memory care assisted living.
So stay tuned for those results.
(24:25):
Yes.
But, yeah, so what we found,essentially is that, when you
look at.
Wellness dining, of course.
the concern is that inindividuals with dementia, if
they start to lose weight by noteating,'cause they have a
decreased in appetite this isthe entryway sometimes into
potentially the end of lifeprocess, So when we took a look
(24:46):
at the data after, this threemonth period, we were able to
show that for those residentswho were actually, They were
losing weight, So they were,below their threshold, they were
losing more than 5% of theirbody weight, 54% of residents
actually were able to gain ormaintain weight.
So one, in two of theseresidents, in these, in this
(25:07):
assisted living memory care, wewere able to increase or
maintain their weight.
there were residents who wereeating less than 80% of their
food.
And so for those residents, wewere able to increase.
45% of residents food intake,which was amazing.
Yes.
Then from there, there were, aset number of residents who were
(25:29):
drinking supplements becausethey weren't eating enough food.
We were able to discontinue 72%of supplements.
These residents were eating realfood again.
Yes.
The quality of life to be ableto eat real food again is
amazing, Yes.
Now, the facility was, they werethe ones that were, they were
(25:49):
footing the bill for thesupplements, so we were able to
quantify this, that theyactually saved$9,000.
In three months.
This was over a$40,000 savingsfor them in one year.
And this was just implementingthe dementia connection model in
dining, take a look at what wecan do for activities and for a
(26:09):
DL care and for all the aspectsof dementia care, So an amazing
result and day two for someupdated, uh, data on that
through what we're doing withanother, uh, company as well.
So I'm proud to, just, proud toshare that.
I'm so excited about that data.
Erin (26:24):
That's a, that's, that nails it down there.
Absolutely.
that's impressive.
I do, if you want I, I dobelieve that if you wanna
empower your team, if you wantinnovation, if you want a
different outcome.
You've got to do thingsdifferently.
Yes, and I see the shift that'shappening.
(26:46):
It's a very slow shift insidecommunities, inside companies,
inside senior living, I, I dofeel.
That when you educate people,when you show people that they,
that you want to invest in them,when you brings out of what's in
it for you, the why component,and you see them as people in
(27:10):
the educational trainingprocess, you can grab their
buy-in.
Mm-hmm.
And I think that's what'shappening here is.
Is you're able to grab buy-inbecause you're not generic.
You're specific.
Dr. Jennifer (27:22):
Yes, absolutely.
Erin (27:23):
And specificity grabs people's attention.
Dr. Jennifer (27:28):
And I wanna just note too, like we go beyond,
your typical dementia training.
So I think that certainly, someof the other training
certifications and othertraining programs that are out
there are very valuable.
It's just that we go that topnotch above, so a community can
invest in more of thestandardized training if they
would like.
(27:48):
And then we are like that levelup, And so.
It would really behoove thecompany to do both.
But if they're looking for, a,all in our training would
provide that, all in thatthey're looking for to help
reduce cost and things likethat.
Erin (28:03):
we heard earlier about how education is a big component of
staff retention, which I don'tknow why we ever thought that it
wasn't.
but I'm glad that somebody's outthere spreading the news that
it's good news.
But.
In a crowded market in whichsenior living is, especially in
(28:23):
some areas of the country.
I like to say, because this islike my message, that the leader
inside the community makes thedifference whenever we all offer
the same processes, the sameservices, because most
communities do, Where does thepoints of difference come in?
And I think that really comes inleadership and culture.
(28:44):
And now we can add inspecifically for memory care,
the training of the staff,because training can be a huge
differentiator.
And then if training andeducation, like the Dementia
Connection Institute is adifferentiator, then that means
that retention is held.
And so, Natalie, do you seethat?
(29:05):
Inside the communities, in thecrowded market that's there.
I believe I, I do believe themore specific that we get and
when we can communicate thestory well, the more people
you're going to track that wantsto benefit from what you can
offer.
Mm-hmm.
Do you agree with me?
Absolutely.
(29:25):
Absolutely.
Okay.
Natalie (29:27):
Yeah.
And I think.
like dementia care helps thecommunity stand out.
it's what families are lookingfor when it comes to finding a
place for their loved one.
they want to be understood andthey want that compassionate
care.
And when you have the staffmembers that can deliver that
(29:48):
and do it on such a deepconnection level.
that's what they're looking for.
And as a staff member, knowingthat I feel valued and
important, why would I want togo anywhere else?
they're investing in me andknowing that their company is
(30:08):
valuing their growth.
I mean, it, it helps build acohesive team.
Erin (30:13):
Yes, absolutely.
A culture that sells educationreally does create a culture
that sells.
Okay.
Now I, I love this idea ofmindset because I do believe
mindset is really important.
It's something that seniorliving leaders don't talk about
a lot, and it's something that Ilike to preach from the
rooftops.
(30:33):
It is a mindset shift.
If you want a shift in theindustry, it's gotta start with
the mindset shift.
If you want your leader to beable to change and lead the
community into the next phase ofgrowth, there's gotta be a
mindset shift.
Because what's holding peopleback is a mindset that is stuck
for whatever reason.
Fear, shame.
(30:56):
the fear of being rejected, thefear of failing, all the things.
Change is hard, So what mindsetshifts need to happen at the
leadership level to move from areactive compliance to a
proactive investment, which is ahuge shift.
It's a huge shift because wehave always been a reactive,
(31:19):
well, let me, always is a strongword.
It has been an assumption thatmost people in this industry,
evidence-based, we'll say that,are reactive.
Family members don't wanna movepeople in because unless it's
reactive to an event.
but.
Proactivity is where I feel Iknow based on my experience
(31:42):
inside of a community, reallydoes create a culture that
sells.
I do believe it all starts withproactivity.
So how do we do that?
Dr.
Jennifer, what's the messagethat we have to say over and
over again to get people tostart to believe it?
Dr. Jennifer (32:02):
Yeah.
earlier I mentioned this must domentality and I think we have to
move from a must do to a can do,and I think part of it is
looking at, where do the dollarsgo, I think marketing
advertising is very important,obviously to continue to be in
front of.
Potential consumers, and that'swhat brings in, more so that
awareness that, the individualcompany can provide the services
(32:25):
that the family's looking for orthat loved one is looking for.
but sometimes I've seen just inmy experience, excess dollars
going to events and things likethat, that may not necessarily.
Bring that ROI.
So it's looking at where is thecompany spending some of their
dollars and can that bereinvested into what we do know
(32:50):
provides that ROI, which isstaff training.
And what Natalie was saying,around like that investment in
that employee is so powerful,but it's also answering pain
points of that employee, of thatemployee who goes to work and
never has had dementia training.
They don't know what they'redoing.
They are put in front of peoplewith dementia and brain changes,
(33:12):
who they're unsure how tointeract and communicate and
engage in powerful ways that areeffective and that are
meaningful.
And so negative experiencesstart to occur and that employee
starts to feel, that they're notconfident in what they're doing.
They feel incompetent.
(33:34):
That's what drives people away.
They don't wanna come to workwhen they aren't feeling
supported.
And so that investment isimportant to feel valued, but
also to understand how to dotheir role effectively and feel
like they're doing itsuccessfully.
You can't put a price tag onthat.
So let's look at those excessdollars that are being spent in
different parts of, maybemarketing, advertising or maybe
(33:56):
other types of expenses to say,can we afford around$5,000 to
train, 20 employees and atrainer?
and then if you wanna train ahundred employees, it's like,
okay, maybe it's, a little lessthan 10 grand.
A lot of companies spend thatand more to go to one.
(34:18):
Conference, that are, we have inour industry.
They spell spend way more than10 grand to go to one
conference, and some of thesecompanies are going to four or
five conferences a year.
Let's reinvest that back intoour team.
That need this so they can besuccessful.
And then you start to see, ofcourse all the other stuff you
(34:38):
see better clinical outcomes.
You see the ROI higher censusagain, and I'm back to staff
retention, So let's move from amust do mentality to a can do
mentality by simply justreallocating those dollars.
Something that's gonna make abig impact on, what we're
promoting at these conferencesis quality care.
(34:59):
You need.
Trained staff to provide qualitycare.
I can't stress that enough.
Erin (35:04):
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah.
And that's a great way to reallyclose out.
that was pretty powerful.
I do.
Just in my time, in, in, in myexperience now, had somebody
invested in my growth, Iprobably would still be inside
(35:24):
of a community.
And the amount of time that I,and money that I have invested
in my growth since I cameoutside of a community, it's
ridiculous.
And why didn't I do that when Iwas inside of a community?
Natalie (35:38):
And it
Erin (35:39):
just goes to show you that the investment is worth it.
It truly is.
The people need to know thatthey're worth it, so they will
buy in.
and when you can have trainingsthat really pull that mindset
out of people, you'll get buy-inand it will, it will return you
(36:00):
lots of money.
And it won't be, it won't belike, it will come from dining,
it will come from staffretention.
It will come from, the story,the marketing story that you can
tell like we are.
Trained and certified indementia care.
Here we are all dementia carespecialists here.
And let me tell you that story,that's powerful.
(36:22):
Mm-hmm.
That's a, that's a powerfulmarketing story.
so thank you for sharing thatwith me and thank you for, for
doing this episode and taking usthrough the process.
So, Natalie, close us out, how.
How do we get in touch with you?
What is the process?
How do they bring this trainingto the organization?
Give us all the goods.
Natalie (36:44):
Yeah, so, any listeners that are interested, they can go
to our website, dementiaconnection institute.org, and
they can contact someone fromour team if they have any
specific requests and questionsregarding maybe their community.
Erin (37:03):
Okay.
Anything that you wanna leave uswith after spending this time
with us?
I know, any wise words to shareas you close us out?
Dr. Jennifer (37:11):
Yeah, well, I first wanna say that, Natalie's
next training that she hasscheduled on the books, and this
will be published out once therecording goes out too, is, look
for her training for, she'sgonna split this up over three
days in the evening time, soit's convenient for healthcare
workers and caregivers.
Uh, September 23rd, 24th, 25th.
(37:33):
It'll be from six to 8:00 PMEastern Standard Time.
So two hours a night, in orderto fulfill the six hour
certification.
And we want to, for ourlisteners today, we wanna give
you a discount code of 10%.
Okay?
The code is capital A, capital L10 a L 10.
So in, you know, put that in atthe, checkout.
(37:55):
In order to, uh, get thatdiscount of 10% for that
training in, in September withNatalie.
So that's a virtual training.
So convenient at your home oryour office.
you don't have to leave.
Hopefully you're not at youroffice at six o'clock at night,
but.
Some of us are sometimes I knowthat.
But, hopefully you're in a, aplace that is, uh, peaceful for
you and you can enjoy thistraining.
(38:16):
So, but yeah, to, uh, to closeout, I just wanna say thank you
so much, Erin, for thisopportunity to be able to speak
our peace around this, Andhopefully, create some change
for folks who are looking tomove more towards dedicated.
Evidence-based dementiatraining.
think about the DementiaConnection Specialist
certification training.
that's not only a course foryour caregivers, uh, but also
(38:40):
for your trainers, that you wantto invest in, and what's great
is that they can offer this toeverybody.
So even they can take it out ofthe classroom for staff and they
can offer to the community, tothe families that they serve, to
the social workers at the localhospital, Our.
Trainer program is so flexiblethat they can offer it to
(39:01):
anybody.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
So that's an amazing ROI justthere.
so thank you so much, Erin, forallowing us to bring this
awareness to what we're doing atthe institute, and really talk
about some of the change thatcan occur around training in
long-term care.
Erin (39:15):
Absolutely.
Natalie, anything you wanna add?
Natalie (39:19):
Yeah, I just wanna reiterate, how important
education is in dementia careand that when we not only equip
the caregivers, it fosters deepconnections and empathy and it
ultimately leaves to a betterquality of life for all
involved.
(39:39):
So I just wanna.
End with that and thank you somuch, Erin, for having us on.
This has been a, a greatopportunity and we really
appreciate all the work that youdo and all the work that Dr.
Jen and the team does at theDementia Connection Institute.
Thank you.
Erin (39:55):
Yeah.
Well, I appreciate you beinghere and I'm really excited
about everything that you'redoing.
changing the lives of theresidents that we care for,
empowering our teams and beingable to.
Create a marketing story thatsets people apart.
It's a big deal and I'm glad tobe able to, have you guys share
(40:16):
that, gals share that.
So make sure you, check themout.
I'll have all their informationin the show notes and as always
for my listeners, own your storyso you can create your future
and aspire for more for you.
I'm so excited to welcome you to today's episode of The
Aspire for More with Erinpodcast, where we have two
esteemed guests, Dr.
Jennifer Stelter, the founderand CEO of Dementia Connection
Institute, as well as NatalieKravitz, who is the Director of
Engagement Operations atActivity Connection and Dementia
Connection Institute Ambassador.
(00:21):
This is a unique combination.
So welcome, welcome both of you.
I'm excited to see where thisconversation goes.
Dr. Jennifer (00:29):
Thank you so much for having us.
We appreciate it.
Thank you.
Yes.
Erin (00:33):
So, we gotta get into some unique stories, how dementia
education and activityconnection comes together, and
the unique, way that it is,maybe not totally together, but
the way that you guys worktogether is really important.
So, Dr.
Jennifer.
Can you give us a little bitabout your story and then we'll
(00:53):
kick it off after you, Nataliecan kick it off with her story.
Dr. Jennifer (00:58):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for having usagain.
So, what's interesting is a lotof people ask me, why did you
get into dementia care to beginwith?
did you have a loved one?
You had dementia?
And I say, actually.
No, at least not initially.
I started off in the healthcarespace as a clinical psychologist
and working in a wide variety ofsettings.
(01:21):
I fell into senior living likemany of us do, and they really
needed a.
a full revamp of a memory careprogram for a company that I was
consulting with.
And so I started off inbehavioral health for that
company and then they whisked meaway over to the dementia care
side.
And I have not looked back eversince.
(01:42):
I absolutely fell in love withworking with individuals, with
brain changes, their families,the staff, and I had the.
Unbelievable opportunity torevamp everything from the
ground up, from policies toassessments and programming, the
environment.
We had some new build outs whereI could create everything from
(02:03):
scratch.
It was just really an amazingopportunity with this company,
and that's really where Ilearned a lot about the dementia
care industry.
And from there it I fastforwarded into, research and
development, and I was able tocreate a new model of care that
is called the DementiaConnection Model.
(02:23):
And that was launched into theindustry in 2021 after I wrote a
book with Johns HopkinsUniversity really displaying the
data and the information aroundwhat made this model of care so
successful.
In the interim of all of this, Idid have a grandmother-in-law
who developed Alzheimer'sdisease, so I was an asset to
the family as well as I had anaging grandfather.
(02:45):
Who did pass away at his 99thbirthday, and he was my muse for
everything, with regards to allof this.
And so just very grateful forthose experiences and that's
really why I got into dementiacare.
And I, from there developed acompany called the Dementia
Connection Institute, and I'vereally dedicated the rest of my
career to this.
So just really love the workthat I do.
Erin (03:08):
Yeah, there's so many questions there, but we gotta
get into Natalie.
We gotta figure out.
And for those who are justlistening and cannot see, she is
wearing a cowboy hat.
It looks like a cowboy hat, butmaybe not.
'cause it's a flat rim and Idon't know the proper term for
that.
And then she's got a whiteChristmas tree with a disco ball
(03:28):
on top with a black bow.
So we're talking about dementiaconnection today.
But the fact that she is anactivity minded person is very
present in the room.
Natalie, take us away.
Natalie (03:42):
Thank you, Erin.
Uh, I just wanna echo, I'm soexcited to be here.
So thank you so much for thisopportunity, to, to speak to
your listeners and youraudience.
My story started back.
When I was in high school, mygreat-grandmother had
Alzheimer's, and at first wejust noticed a few different
(04:04):
changes and then it, it reallybecame where we realized we
needed to help transition her incloser to family and into our
home.
And that's really when I firstexperienced behavioral cognitive
changes through the dementiadisease.
And.
A couple years later, as I wasworking on my undergrad and was
(04:28):
doing my capstone experience, Iwanted to do a research study
on.
The correlation of quality oflife versus quality of care, and
that's really when I started tosee what meaningful connection
and meaningful engagement can doto an individual living in a
senior community.
(04:49):
We know personally how much it,it can affect ourselves, but to
see it used appropriately in a,in a particular approach,
changes everything and how thatinteraction is done.
As we work with our residents.
And so that's really when Ifirst got a glimpse of that
impactful work.
(05:10):
And then shortly I got into thefield of, activities and that's
when I really started to see howtraining and education is
powerful and empowering for anindividual.
And I've been in the field for20 years since.
Erin (05:30):
Yeah, it's true.
So Natalie, what do you seesince you've been in the field
and you support lots ofcommunities and you have
throughout your career, throughthe activity space, which I
think encapsulates a lot ofmemory care, and you're also an
ambassador for the DementiaConnection Institute.
What do you see are the biggestgaps?
(05:52):
From, based on your experiencein that capstone project that
you did, that most seniorliving, most senior living
communities approach dementiaeducation today.
Like what are the biggest gaps?
Natalie (06:05):
I foresee how.
Some of the trainings are verygeneralized.
I don't feel that that approachcan make as much of an impact as
some other trainingopportunities where it's more
hands-on.
It's more practical skills.
It's a set of tools that aregiven to a staff member or even
(06:27):
a caregiver themselves as theywork with their loved ones.
but where you can see that gapis because I feel like they're
very generalized.
Erin (06:39):
Yeah.
Seriously.
I mean, Dr.
Jennifer, you wrote and threwaway the book, a generalized
book, I'm sure of, of acommunity, and you created
something more.
Customized to the progression ofthe disease, to family
expectation, potentially to,lots of very meaningful
(07:01):
understanding of the diseaseprocess.
How, I think of it from how canyou scale detail, obviously you
did that, you created aninstitute.
So I'm fascinated by thatprocess.
So why, why are the stakes sohigh?
How did you do that?
take us through that processbecause I'm curious about that.
Dr. Jennifer (07:22):
Absolutely.
I mean, having worked in seniorliving for so many years, you
see what people do to traintheir staff and to mirror what
Natalie was saying is,unfortunately there's still a
lot of communities that areusing more so computer-based
training, uh, to meet, regulate,regulatory expectations, but
they're not taking it beyondthat.
(07:43):
It's like this have tomentality.
we have to do so many hours andit has to be, in regards to
these, particular subjects.
And so we're gonna make surethat there's an online platform
that can do that, and we checkthe boxes and we move on, But
there's no sense of applicationfrom what they're learning to
real life.
If there's questions that thestaff members have, there's
(08:05):
nobody there to really answerthem.
and oftentimes, to be honestwith you, because I've had this
experience with many staffmembers, as you just see them
clicking through to the nextscreen to get to the quiz so
they can pass.
What, and if they don't pass,they get to take it again.
And so it's not reallybeneficial, and I, part of this
journey of developing theinstitute and.
(08:27):
More specifically theevidence-based curriculum that
we use to certify individuals asdementia connection specialists,
whether you're a family member,whether you're a healthcare
professional, or a largerorganization, The idea here was
to look at what are the painpoints, What are these gaps?
And one thing that we alsodiscovered was a lot of people.
(08:49):
That take dementia training, sayit's boring.
And when it's boring, theyaren't able to retain it.
and more importantly, they can'tapply it than to their
day-to-day caregiving skills,
Natalie (09:01):
Mm-hmm.
Dr. Jennifer (09:02):
And so with that said, taking a look at the fact
that it's boring, it's notmeaningful, It's quick and,
there's no resolution to, whatcomes next after that training.
We have to be able to maketraining more impactful for
those caregivers and caregiversof all education levels from all
walks of life, Uh, differentlanguages they may speak.
(09:25):
They have to understand thisbecause I truly believe, and
I've been saying this for a longtime.
That we have to understand thedisease in order to provide good
quality dementia care.
And so how this developed was,I, I was a trainer for other
types of certifications previousto this.
And, of course doing hours andhours of training with so many
(09:47):
staff members and families andcommunity members and things
like that, was something where,how can we make this.
Type of training meaningful.
How can we make itevidence-based?
How can we make it impactfulenough that they're gonna take
the information, apply whatthey're learning?
And so taking all the tools thatI've learned over the years, and
(10:09):
knowing that.
Caregivers, whether you're afamily member, whether you're a
healthcare professional, youneed real tools in your hands to
do this, Having an understandingof dementia is really important,
and again, as I mentioned, youneed to understand the disease
process, but it's hard tomemorize, step-by-step processes
Significance of this means that,and therefore when I'm
(10:32):
caregiving, I have to recallthat in order to use it.
And that's very hard for people.
So when I developed the DementiaConnections Specialist
Certification program.
It was really to put true toolsin people's hands, And giving
them the research behind why itworks, People have to understand
the why in order to reallybelieve in what it is, To have
(10:53):
that buy-in effect.
And developing the curriculumwas to say, okay, we're not only
going to.
Give you the content materialaround it, but we're actually
gonna put physical tools in yourhand so when we train, you
actually get a toolbox withsample tools to use throughout
the training and to usethereafter as well.
So it really is a process andunderstanding that people need,
(11:14):
to understand why they're doingthis.
They need to understand what'shappening as the disease
progresses.
And having those physical toolsin their hands can make a huge
difference.
And so that's really, reallycame about as to why I wanted
develop my own curriculum.
and so it evolved into a sixhour class, that can be done
virtually or in person, andreally It now is across the
(11:36):
globe.
We're training people from, theEast coast to the West coast,
and we have folks taking ourtraining overseas now, which is
unbelievable.
We're quickly growing.
We understand we're not the onlycertification option out there.
So we want people to understandthe relevancy behind why we are
doing what we're doing, and toknow that it's an more so easy
(11:56):
and more applicable process andmodel of care that people can
wrap their head hands around andheads around.
So we're really excited to bringit to market, and continue to,
to show people what it's allabout.
Erin (12:07):
Yeah, I, I do think.
Senior living in general haslost or hasn't quite understood
maybe the application componentof learning.
Yes.
we've done the generic onlinetraining.
We've done, that for years, andwe, if it is boring you, you're
we don't retain it.
(12:28):
We don't do the, Go and work andthen come back and let's talk
about it.
We talk about it and then weexpect people to do it, and then
we get angry when they don't.
Mm-hmm.
or frustrated, maybe angry isnot the term, but it is the
application piece.
You know, I do my own, newexecutive director training and
(12:49):
when I invested in myself withthe coach, it was the
application piece.
That really propelled my growthbecause fear keeps people from
moving forward.
But if you know that there'ssomebody who just wants to know
how you're doing, or, coming into check on you and, and, or
(13:11):
somebody who cares enough tolisten to some things that were,
standing in your way, then thatapplication piece becomes part
of growth.
And when people can.
Can talk it out like when nexttime you have this incident with
a resident who's saying this toyou or doing this to you, try
this.
Mm-hmm.
(13:32):
Being able to use even virtualtrainings to imply application
uses is really important.
Dr. Jennifer (13:40):
Absolutely.
And
Erin (13:41):
I think that's certainly a very different type of training
than we're used to.
on that note, how is itdifferent?
Because I assume there is avirtual component to it, just
like there would be on othertraining, platforms that senior
livings use.
How is the Dementia ConnectionInstitute training different
(14:03):
from, the generic ones thatwe're talking about?
Dr. Jennifer (14:07):
Absolutely.
So it's really takes a deeperdive into the disease process.
So not only will they learn acourse about what is dementia
and some of the very importantinformation around the disease
process from a.
Prognosis to progression to thetreatment modalities that are
available right now.
(14:27):
what we pride ourselves on ishaving the most up-to-date
information for our trainers touse when they're training with
the curriculum that they'reimplementing.
And so even the latest researchout with the newest blood test
that they have come out with todictate whether or not the
individual has a higher level ofprotein that would equate to
(14:47):
having Alzheimer's disease.
That information is in our slidedeck, And comparative to other
types of live trainings.
sometimes the trainers arewaiting.
A year, maybe even two years,for the next version of their
trainer's manual to come out.
And all this new research isforever coming out because we're
still learning more and moreabout dementia every day, So
(15:09):
with our training, our trainerscan feel confident that they're
providing the, the latestinformation that's out there.
what also sets us apart is thatwe have a very easy process to
certify.
So there's a online applicationthat is required as part of it.
They take the course, they passa very fun test.
It's a test made up of braingames, No longer is it just your
(15:32):
traditional, all multiple choiceor true false.
our folks are doing, wordmatching and things like that,
ways to exercise their brain aswe are trying to emphasize to
the folks taking this coursethat you need to take care of
yourself as well.
And we actually have a wholehour on self-care that we end
the curriculum with.
Again, very different from a lotof other, uh, dementia trainings
(15:52):
out the.
Are focusing on the caregiverthemselves Yes.
Is vital to this process.
We can't forget about them.
So they're doing brain games aspart of their competency test.
Very fun.
And then they're certified fortwo years, which is amazing.
So there's no extra steps whenit comes to certifying.
the other thing that makes usvery.
I would say more exceptionallydifferent than a lot of other
(16:12):
trainings is that we'reevidence-based.
Everything we provide, there'sbeen research that shows that
proves it.
And so we do have a referencelist that people can ask, to
look at, you know, what we'reusing.
Um, but we do talk about each ofthe studies as we go through so
people know.
Why do we suggest certain toolsthat they should use, and how
should they proceed with thesetools?
(16:34):
Um, so we pride ourselves onmaking sure that what we're
saying is evidence-based Now.
When they're taking a deeperdive into dementia, again, what
sets us apart is that they learnabout the research behind the
Dementia connection model, whichis the Johns Hopkins University
Press approved model of carethat we are really looking to
educate people on so they canuse it every day.
(16:56):
And what they do is they learnhow to apply this model of care
to every aspect of dementiacare, from how to communicate
effectively to.
Handling some of the mostchallenging behavioral
expressions out there, tohands-on a DL care, to, of
course, how to engage someonefrom the aspect of more, social
(17:19):
prescribing.
Versus prescribing medications,Mm-hmm.
So really focusing on thenon-pharmacological piece to
dementia care rather than alwaysusing medication.
Now, people who take thiscourse, they learn the basics
around why we would use certainmedications, but most of the
courses focused on thoseholistic tools that they can use
(17:40):
every single day.
So those are just a few.
There's many reasons why we aredifferent from a lot of other
dementia trainings out there.
As you mentioned the person canselect if they want virtual,
like if they wanna take it intheir comfort of their office or
their home, it is still a livetraining.
or they can choose an in-personthat's in the community.
(18:01):
But we do also offer corporateprivate training too, coming
into a community or maybe a homecare agency and providing that
training too.
So we wanna make sure that wecan accommodate everyone based
on what their training needsare.
Erin (18:14):
That's.
That's really good.
That's good stuff.
Natalie, can you share likesuccess stories?
'cause obviously you're anambassador, so you're doing some
of this training.
what is, we, we have thefounder, the creator, the
passionate stories behind it,and now.
In as an ambassador, what do yousee when you train people on
(18:40):
this?
What are some of your successstories?
Natalie (18:44):
Yeah, so again, as I mentioned, knowledge is power
and when the staff have thatknowledge, they can do things
differently.
And so I've seen communities beable to restructure their whole
day.
Based on the evidence-basedtools that we provide.
To the participants in thecertification course to learn
(19:05):
how to adapt and modify thingsthat help meet the residents
where they are.
a good example is, in theafternoon when a resident is
sundowning, being able tounderstand what might trigger
different behavioral responsesand what can be done to help
decrease that.
and so those are just a few waysthat we have seen how
(19:28):
communities.
Are able to change the way thatthey structure their day
Dr. Jennifer (19:33):
I can add to that too.
Yeah.
when you talk about likesundowning as the example, It's,
typically, not everyone, but wesee of course still high levels
of antipsychotic use and.
Anti-anxiety use, uh, forsundowning behaviors, which is
not necessarily appropriatebecause we know that there's a
lot of side effects to thesepsychotropic medications.
(19:54):
But that's a bandaid effect.
Once those wear off, theindividual's still gonna be in
that state.
And so it's teaching thecaregivers really about using
holistic tools like potentiallydiffusing lavender essential
oil.
There's thousands of clinicaltrials on why lavender works for
sundowning, It's implementingtactile tools that have a
(20:16):
grounding effect.
It lowers anxiety and fear, andincreases attention and
concentration playing non byHarmon music, And this is all
strategic as, as Natalie hadsaid, We're gonna schedule this
into their afternoon, about 30minutes prior to their regular
sundown time.
And if they're in a community,usually the residents sundown
(20:38):
altogether.
And so 30 minutes prior to thatgroup, sundowning time, we're
gonna be proactive, notreactive.
We're gonna be proactive aboutbringing in these tools to hope
to mitigate sundowningaltogether.
And in my own practice, I'vebeen able to do this time and
time again by having this as amore scheduled routine.
This is what we call, more so ofthis under the umbrella of
(21:00):
social prescribing.
Its prescriptive engagement.
It's prescribing engaging toolsthat will minimize these more
difficult symptoms of dementia,where it's helping them to feel
at ease every single day.
And what's amazing about thesetools and about the model of
care is that not only do theyhave an immediate effect, these
(21:21):
can start to work within 22seconds based on the physiology
of our brain, but also it has along-term effect.
People with dementia, they startto learn what these sensory
based tools mean.
And what I've been able to showis that in about a month, if we
use the same tools every day atthe same time, once they see
these tools and or they hear orsmell these tools, they learn,
(21:44):
ah.
Their body starts to calm itselfbecause of the physiology of how
our brain works.
Right.
It's amazing.
So
Natalie (21:54):
it's,
Dr. Jennifer (21:54):
yeah.
To piggyback on what Nataliesaid, it's so strategic that we
can prescribe these engagingtools rather than prescribing
medications.
Erin (22:03):
Yeah.
Talk about a mindset shift.
Yes.
I mean, talk about a culturalshift, really.
Yes.
You know?
Yeah.
It's a.
that's a big deal.
Everybody always wants to knowthe ROI.
What is the return oninvestment?
education is hard to quantifysometimes.
You know, do you have a standardanswer, a model, something that
(22:24):
you can say like, here is what Ihave seen as the ROI When
companies invest in this type oftraining for their communities.
Dr. Jennifer (22:36):
Absolutely.
I wanna start talk generally andthen I'll talk more specifically
about what we found with thedementia connection model.
But I was actually listening toa webinar yesterday, A CEO of a
very prestigious senior livingcommunity, and he said, about
nine months ago we reallyinvested in staff training.
We have seen an unbelievableshift in not only, of course,
(22:58):
staff retention.
He said they're over 80% now,which is the highest they have
been since the pandemic byinvesting in staff training.
They also saw, I think they're,he said they're over like 95% in
census.
And have been able to maintainthat for quite a long time
(23:20):
because of the investment instaff training.
So they really took the idea oflike, nine months we're gonna
invest in this.
And they've seen.
Again, over 90% in occupancy,they have seen over 80% in staff
retention.
he saw an improvement in theirclinical outcomes.
so that's just general.
Just to share with you, as ofyesterday, a webinar that I was
(23:41):
listening in on, with theDementia Connection model, we
have some true evidence and thisis actually published in my book
through Johns Hopkins.
that book is called The BusyCaregivers Guide to Advance.
Alzheimer's disease, long title,but can be found anywhere where
you, find books.
but essentially in here we lookat what I did was to really
control the data around, the useof the dementia connection
(24:05):
model.
I implemented the model of carein a wellness dining program.
In a assisted living memory carefor three months.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And this was back in 2016.
I'm proud to say that we arecurrently actually redoing this
now with four communities thatare memory care assisted living.
So stay tuned for those results.
(24:25):
Yes.
But, yeah, so what we found,essentially is that, when you
look at.
Wellness dining, of course.
the concern is that inindividuals with dementia, if
they start to lose weight by noteating,'cause they have a
decreased in appetite this isthe entryway sometimes into
potentially the end of lifeprocess, So when we took a look
(24:46):
at the data after, this threemonth period, we were able to
show that for those residentswho were actually, They were
losing weight, So they were,below their threshold, they were
losing more than 5% of theirbody weight, 54% of residents
actually were able to gain ormaintain weight.
So one, in two of theseresidents, in these, in this
(25:07):
assisted living memory care, wewere able to increase or
maintain their weight.
there were residents who wereeating less than 80% of their
food.
And so for those residents, wewere able to increase.
45% of residents food intake,which was amazing.
Yes.
Then from there, there were, aset number of residents who were
(25:29):
drinking supplements becausethey weren't eating enough food.
We were able to discontinue 72%of supplements.
These residents were eating realfood again.
Yes.
The quality of life to be ableto eat real food again is
amazing, Yes.
Now, the facility was, they werethe ones that were, they were
(25:49):
footing the bill for thesupplements, so we were able to
quantify this, that theyactually saved$9,000.
In three months.
This was over a$40,000 savingsfor them in one year.
And this was just implementingthe dementia connection model in
dining, take a look at what wecan do for activities and for a
(26:09):
DL care and for all the aspectsof dementia care, So an amazing
result and day two for someupdated, uh, data on that
through what we're doing withanother, uh, company as well.
So I'm proud to, just, proud toshare that.
I'm so excited about that data.
Erin (26:24):
That's a, that's, that nails it down there.
Absolutely.
that's impressive.
I do, if you want I, I dobelieve that if you wanna
empower your team, if you wantinnovation, if you want a
different outcome.
You've got to do thingsdifferently.
Yes, and I see the shift that'shappening.
(26:46):
It's a very slow shift insidecommunities, inside companies,
inside senior living, I, I dofeel.
That when you educate people,when you show people that they,
that you want to invest in them,when you brings out of what's in
it for you, the why component,and you see them as people in
(27:10):
the educational trainingprocess, you can grab their
buy-in.
Mm-hmm.
And I think that's what'shappening here is.
Is you're able to grab buy-inbecause you're not generic.
You're specific.
Dr. Jennifer (27:22):
Yes, absolutely.
Erin (27:23):
And specificity grabs people's attention.
Dr. Jennifer (27:28):
And I wanna just note too, like we go beyond,
your typical dementia training.
So I think that certainly, someof the other training
certifications and othertraining programs that are out
there are very valuable.
It's just that we go that topnotch above, so a community can
invest in more of thestandardized training if they
would like.
(27:48):
And then we are like that levelup, And so.
It would really behoove thecompany to do both.
But if they're looking for, a,all in our training would
provide that, all in thatthey're looking for to help
reduce cost and things likethat.
Erin (28:03):
we heard earlier about how education is a big component of
staff retention, which I don'tknow why we ever thought that it
wasn't.
but I'm glad that somebody's outthere spreading the news that
it's good news.
But.
In a crowded market in whichsenior living is, especially in
(28:23):
some areas of the country.
I like to say, because this islike my message, that the leader
inside the community makes thedifference whenever we all offer
the same processes, the sameservices, because most
communities do, Where does thepoints of difference come in?
And I think that really comes inleadership and culture.
(28:44):
And now we can add inspecifically for memory care,
the training of the staff,because training can be a huge
differentiator.
And then if training andeducation, like the Dementia
Connection Institute is adifferentiator, then that means
that retention is held.
And so, Natalie, do you seethat?
(29:05):
Inside the communities, in thecrowded market that's there.
I believe I, I do believe themore specific that we get and
when we can communicate thestory well, the more people
you're going to track that wantsto benefit from what you can
offer.
Mm-hmm.
Do you agree with me?
Absolutely.
(29:25):
Absolutely.
Okay.
Natalie (29:27):
Yeah.
And I think.
like dementia care helps thecommunity stand out.
it's what families are lookingfor when it comes to finding a
place for their loved one.
they want to be understood andthey want that compassionate
care.
And when you have the staffmembers that can deliver that
(29:48):
and do it on such a deepconnection level.
that's what they're looking for.
And as a staff member, knowingthat I feel valued and
important, why would I want togo anywhere else?
they're investing in me andknowing that their company is
(30:08):
valuing their growth.
I mean, it, it helps build acohesive team.
Erin (30:13):
Yes, absolutely.
A culture that sells educationreally does create a culture
that sells.
Okay.
Now I, I love this idea ofmindset because I do believe
mindset is really important.
It's something that seniorliving leaders don't talk about
a lot, and it's something that Ilike to preach from the
rooftops.
(30:33):
It is a mindset shift.
If you want a shift in theindustry, it's gotta start with
the mindset shift.
If you want your leader to beable to change and lead the
community into the next phase ofgrowth, there's gotta be a
mindset shift.
Because what's holding peopleback is a mindset that is stuck
for whatever reason.
Fear, shame.
(30:56):
the fear of being rejected, thefear of failing, all the things.
Change is hard, So what mindsetshifts need to happen at the
leadership level to move from areactive compliance to a
proactive investment, which is ahuge shift.
It's a huge shift because wehave always been a reactive,
(31:19):
well, let me, always is a strongword.
It has been an assumption thatmost people in this industry,
evidence-based, we'll say that,are reactive.
Family members don't wanna movepeople in because unless it's
reactive to an event.
but.
Proactivity is where I feel Iknow based on my experience
(31:42):
inside of a community, reallydoes create a culture that
sells.
I do believe it all starts withproactivity.
So how do we do that?
Dr.
Jennifer, what's the messagethat we have to say over and
over again to get people tostart to believe it?
Dr. Jennifer (32:02):
Yeah.
earlier I mentioned this must domentality and I think we have to
move from a must do to a can do,and I think part of it is
looking at, where do the dollarsgo, I think marketing
advertising is very important,obviously to continue to be in
front of.
Potential consumers, and that'swhat brings in, more so that
awareness that, the individualcompany can provide the services
(32:25):
that the family's looking for orthat loved one is looking for.
but sometimes I've seen just inmy experience, excess dollars
going to events and things likethat, that may not necessarily.
Bring that ROI.
So it's looking at where is thecompany spending some of their
dollars and can that bereinvested into what we do know
(32:50):
provides that ROI, which isstaff training.
And what Natalie was saying,around like that investment in
that employee is so powerful,but it's also answering pain
points of that employee, of thatemployee who goes to work and
never has had dementia training.
They don't know what they'redoing.
They are put in front of peoplewith dementia and brain changes,
(33:12):
who they're unsure how tointeract and communicate and
engage in powerful ways that areeffective and that are
meaningful.
And so negative experiencesstart to occur and that employee
starts to feel, that they're notconfident in what they're doing.
They feel incompetent.
(33:34):
That's what drives people away.
They don't wanna come to workwhen they aren't feeling
supported.
And so that investment isimportant to feel valued, but
also to understand how to dotheir role effectively and feel
like they're doing itsuccessfully.
You can't put a price tag onthat.
So let's look at those excessdollars that are being spent in
different parts of, maybemarketing, advertising or maybe
(33:56):
other types of expenses to say,can we afford around$5,000 to
train, 20 employees and atrainer?
and then if you wanna train ahundred employees, it's like,
okay, maybe it's, a little lessthan 10 grand.
A lot of companies spend thatand more to go to one.
(34:18):
Conference, that are, we have inour industry.
They spell spend way more than10 grand to go to one
conference, and some of thesecompanies are going to four or
five conferences a year.
Let's reinvest that back intoour team.
That need this so they can besuccessful.
And then you start to see, ofcourse all the other stuff you
(34:38):
see better clinical outcomes.
You see the ROI higher censusagain, and I'm back to staff
retention, So let's move from amust do mentality to a can do
mentality by simply justreallocating those dollars.
Something that's gonna make abig impact on, what we're
promoting at these conferencesis quality care.
(34:59):
You need.
Trained staff to provide qualitycare.
I can't stress that enough.
Erin (35:04):
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah.
And that's a great way to reallyclose out.
that was pretty powerful.
I do.
Just in my time, in, in, in myexperience now, had somebody
invested in my growth, Iprobably would still be inside
(35:24):
of a community.
And the amount of time that I,and money that I have invested
in my growth since I cameoutside of a community, it's
ridiculous.
And why didn't I do that when Iwas inside of a community?
Natalie (35:38):
And it
Erin (35:39):
just goes to show you that the investment is worth it.
It truly is.
The people need to know thatthey're worth it, so they will
buy in.
and when you can have trainingsthat really pull that mindset
out of people, you'll get buy-inand it will, it will return you
(36:00):
lots of money.
And it won't be, it won't belike, it will come from dining,
it will come from staffretention.
It will come from, the story,the marketing story that you can
tell like we are.
Trained and certified indementia care.
Here we are all dementia carespecialists here.
And let me tell you that story,that's powerful.
(36:22):
Mm-hmm.
That's a, that's a powerfulmarketing story.
so thank you for sharing thatwith me and thank you for, for
doing this episode and taking usthrough the process.
So, Natalie, close us out, how.
How do we get in touch with you?
What is the process?
How do they bring this trainingto the organization?
Give us all the goods.
Natalie (36:44):
Yeah, so, any listeners that are interested, they can go
to our website, dementiaconnection institute.org, and
they can contact someone fromour team if they have any
specific requests and questionsregarding maybe their community.
Erin (37:03):
Okay.
Anything that you wanna leave uswith after spending this time
with us?
I know, any wise words to shareas you close us out?
Dr. Jennifer (37:11):
Yeah, well, I first wanna say that, Natalie's
next training that she hasscheduled on the books, and this
will be published out once therecording goes out too, is, look
for her training for, she'sgonna split this up over three
days in the evening time, soit's convenient for healthcare
workers and caregivers.
Uh, September 23rd, 24th, 25th.
(37:33):
It'll be from six to 8:00 PMEastern Standard Time.
So two hours a night, in orderto fulfill the six hour
certification.
And we want to, for ourlisteners today, we wanna give
you a discount code of 10%.
Okay?
The code is capital A, capital L10 a L 10.
So in, you know, put that in atthe, checkout.
(37:55):
In order to, uh, get thatdiscount of 10% for that
training in, in September withNatalie.
So that's a virtual training.
So convenient at your home oryour office.
you don't have to leave.
Hopefully you're not at youroffice at six o'clock at night,
but.
Some of us are sometimes I knowthat.
But, hopefully you're in a, aplace that is, uh, peaceful for
you and you can enjoy thistraining.
(38:16):
So, but yeah, to, uh, to closeout, I just wanna say thank you
so much, Erin, for thisopportunity to be able to speak
our peace around this, Andhopefully, create some change
for folks who are looking tomove more towards dedicated.
Evidence-based dementiatraining.
think about the DementiaConnection Specialist
certification training.
that's not only a course foryour caregivers, uh, but also
(38:40):
for your trainers, that you wantto invest in, and what's great
is that they can offer this toeverybody.
So even they can take it out ofthe classroom for staff and they
can offer to the community, tothe families that they serve, to
the social workers at the localhospital, Our.
Trainer program is so flexiblethat they can offer it to
(39:01):
anybody.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
So that's an amazing ROI justthere.
so thank you so much, Erin, forallowing us to bring this
awareness to what we're doing atthe institute, and really talk
about some of the change thatcan occur around training in
long-term care.
Erin (39:15):
Absolutely.
Natalie, anything you wanna add?
Natalie (39:19):
Yeah, I just wanna reiterate, how important
education is in dementia careand that when we not only equip
the caregivers, it fosters deepconnections and empathy and it
ultimately leaves to a betterquality of life for all
involved.
(39:39):
So I just wanna.
End with that and thank you somuch, Erin, for having us on.
This has been a, a greatopportunity and we really
appreciate all the work that youdo and all the work that Dr.
Jen and the team does at theDementia Connection Institute.
Thank you.
Erin (39:55):
Yeah.
Well, I appreciate you beinghere and I'm really excited
about everything that you'redoing.
changing the lives of theresidents that we care for,
empowering our teams and beingable to.
Create a marketing story thatsets people apart.
It's a big deal and I'm glad tobe able to, have you guys share
(40:16):
that, gals share that.
So make sure you, check themout.
I'll have all their informationin the show notes and as always
for my listeners, own your storyso you can create your future
and aspire for more for you.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.