Celebrating The Longest Day: Shedding Light on Dementia Care at Brio Living Services
Renowned dementia care expert and founder of the Positive Approach to Care®, Teepa Snow, has said, “Dementia does not rob someone of their dignity; it’s our reaction to them that does.” During Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, Brio Living Services is honored to recognize The Longest Day, a special day for the Alzheimer’s Association to build awareness of dementia. This date coincides with the Summer Solstice, the official start of summer and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The Longest Day sheds light on the disease and those living with it and their care partners. At Brio Living Services, we care deeply for our residents living with dementia, their families, and our devoted team members. Team members at our flagship campuses, Chelsea Retirement Community (CRC) and Porter Hills Village in Grand Rapids, as well as at many of our PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) sites, have received training in Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care® (PAC). PAC is an innovative, evidence informed, dementia education program. It is designed to improve the care environment through awareness, skills, and competencies that reduce stress for those living with dementia and their care partners. In particular, several of our team members have completed additional training to become PAC certified coaches and trainers to ensure ongoing, consistent use of PAC skills for our team members. One of those is Linda Mammel, a PAC Certified Independent Trainer and Memory Care Program Manager at CRC’s Towsley Village Memory Care Center, as well as a UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation Scholarship recipient. Linda recently spoke at the UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation’s Campaign Kickoff event and shared her personal and professional experiences. “Twenty-five years ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease,” said Linda. “That experience deeply affected my family, including my children—her great-grandchildren—and shaped many of the decisions I made. What I would have given to have the [PAC] resources then that I have today. I would have made sure my children continued spending time with their great-grandmother, even if it was simply to share each other’s presence.” Today, Linda works with team members on a daily basis to train and coach them in PAC skills. She also talks with residents’ families and helps educate the wider community. Last year, Linda offered a “Getting to Know Dementia” series of classes in Chelsea to packed audiences. “Through conversations, presentations, community outreach, and educational training, we can meet people where they are and turn awareness into understanding and action,” said Linda. PAC skills encourage and reinforce the importance of relationships between care partners and their loved ones living with dementia. “When a nonverbal person can squeeze your hand and smile up at you, you can see the worth; no, you can FEEL it, and that is what makes us different,” said Linda. “Making these moments a possibility is one of the skills learned with PAC. It is our passion.” The team at Towsley Village earned the PAC Designated Organization status at the Aware Level in 2024, making it one of just two retirement communities in Michigan to receive the PAC Aware designation. June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. To help protect and engage your brain, Linda recommends:- Challenge your mind – take a class, learn chess
- Eat right – manage your weight, diabetes, and blood pressure
- Get enough sleep – an average of seven hours per night
- Get moving – exercises such as walking
- Stop smoking
- Protect your head – wear a helmet when biking
- Engage in social connections with friends and family
- Enjoy meaningful activities