Boy, it’s been a whirlwind! How is that we have already been open for 4 months and are caring for nearly 40 residents?! It is amazing and humbling that the need is so great and families have trusted our community to love and care for their loved ones as we do our own. We appreciate your trust and strive to honor it every day.
We also want to ensure that we are a good resource for you, your family, and the greater community. In fact, we’ve lined up a terrific speaker series this Spring starting with Dr. Mehrdad Ayati, a Geriatrician from Stanford Healthcare. When he toured Kensington Place last fall, he was taken aback that we’ve incorporated much of what he’s been teaching the last few years: high ceilings, large windows and skylights to improve circadian rhythms, comfortable transitions from indoors to outside, and first line engaging activities instead of skipping right to a pharmacological response. He will share more about getting a good night’s sleep and what that means for those with dementia. Whether your loved one lives here or not, you will want to hear Dr. Ayati’s suggestions for improving sleep patterns. His talk Better Sleep, Better Engagement, Better Aging at Holbrook Palmer Park is on Thursday, April 7 at 7-9pm.
In May, we also welcome back clinical bioethicist Viki Kind from Los Angeles. She is also a hospice volunteer and the author of the award winning, The Caregiver’s Path to Compassionate Decision Making – Making Choices for Those Who Can’t, which guides families and professionals who are making the decisions for those with dementia, brain injuries and other cognitive impairments. As a clinical bioethicist, she has unique tools and strategies that provide a structure and process for making the difficult life, health and end-of-life decisions for those with varying degrees of capacity. Join us at Holbrook Park for her talk on Thursday, May 12th at 7-9pm and she’ll do a workshop for caregivers on Saturday, May 14th at 10am- 2pm. There is no charge and refreshments are included.
Hope to see you there!
John Graham, Executive Director