LONGMEADOW –  JGS Lifecare hosted Longmeadow’s Dementia Friendly Kickoff Event on Jan. 9 where they displayed their plans for the community to become “dementia friendly” through their partnership with the Longmeadow Council on Aging (COA), Glenmeadow Retirement Community and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Mary-Anne Schelb, director of Sales and Community Relations for JGS Lifecare shared that while many individuals think that becoming a dementia-friendly community means completing a series of steps to become “certified,” that isn’t necessarily how it works.

“It’s ongoing initiative and training with everyone from emergency responders, to business owners, to family members, it literally touches everyone in the community,” Schelb explained. “This isn’t just in Longmeadow and Massachusetts, this is across America.  It really brings education and awareness to the communities that it’s brought to, to have community members understand the folks with higher level memory loss and treat them with more dignity and compassion and to have a better understanding of what they’re going through.”

Leading up to the Dementia Friendly Kickoff Event Schelb along with other key members of what she affectionately refers to as the “Core Four,” JGS, Longmeadow COA, Glenmeadow and the Alzheimer’s Association, presented a resolution to the town’s Select Board.  With the Board’s approval, they were able to begin the process of creating the kickoff event and planning a series of monthly trainings for the community to take part in.     

“There are going to be virtual dementia tours, it’s like you’re walking in the shoes of someone with dementia.  If someone wants to experience what it’s like to have dementia, you go through this process.  I don’t want to give too much away, but you’re a little more compromised and it’ll have you experience that this is what it’s like for a person with dementia to say write a check, or to get changed, or to pour a glass of water,” Schelb shared.

Each month in 2018 there will be trainings that different members of the community will be invited to.

“The Alzheimer’s Association will be speaking on trainings, recognizing the ten signs of Alzheimer’s, healthy living for brain and body, understanding and responding to dementia related behaviors,” Schelb said.

On Sept. 11 at Bay Path University Dr. Rhoda Au will be coming to speak about the latest Alzheimer’s research.  Additionally, on Sept. 13 at JGS, there will be a 12-person panel of professionals that will discuss everything there is to know concerning Alzheimer’s including diagnosis, nursing care, a health care proxy, how to afford therapy, if you need to involve home care and what types of care you may need. Schelb is calling this week ‘Alzheimer’s Power Week.’

The Dementia Friendly Kickoff Event pulled a crowd of roughly 50 people.  A speech was offered by Emily Kearns, project manager of Dementia Friendly Massachusetts, who explained what the future will look like for Longmeadow if it’s dementia friendly, as well as the benefits for having a dementia friendly community.  Additionally, both state Sen. Eric Lesser and state Rep. Brian Ashe were in attendance and offered remarks.

“It’s all about community awareness, there’s the ‘Core Four’ members and there’s also our ‘community champions,’ institutions like Bay Path, they’re going to be involved in our support groups,” Schelb said. “They’re [Bay Path] going to be offering up some of their students, Psychology students and occupational Therapists, and they’ll be helping the process for the support groups and assisting with folks that are having a very frustrating time not knowing what to do with mom or dad.”

“We’re relying on our community champions and word of mouth, talking to business owners; I’m going to one of our local pharmacies,” Schelb explained.  “Someone in Rep. Ashe’s office had an experience where it was one of those teaching moments, clearly someone needed assistance, and if we train employees and train a staff, any training we can give them they will better understand their consumers, they’ll be more compassionate, understanding and it’s a win-win for everyone involved.”

Schelb said that when she was first hired at JGS it was one of her goals to turn Longmeadow into a dementia friendly community, and by the end of 2018, her goal may be completed.  Should the town complete a series of trainings and show the Alzheimer’s Association that there is a broader awareness among the community, they will be dubbed a dementia friendly community.

To contact JGS Lifecare for additional information regarding the dementia friendly initiative, call JGS at 567-6212.