WINTER 2009Tom Smith
Director of Institutional Advancement
When Friends Village began strategic planning for our 155,000-square- foot expansion in the mid-1990s, we realized the importance of enhancing our dementia program to meet our residents’ needs. The challenge that concerned us most was the lack of a dedicated space for these residents. So in 2005, Friends Village opened the doors to a 45-room, two-story assisted living wing with 20 rooms dedicated to dementia care.
Since the opening of the wing four years ago, we have had great success implementing a dementia program. Part of this success has involved outside support, such as meetings sponsored monthly by the New Jersey chapter of the Delaware Valley Alzheimer’s Association.
Now Friends Village is presenting a program, beginning in early 2010, that aims specifically to improve care providers’ understanding of, and skills with, nonverbal communication. Using elements of nonverbal communication enables care providers to enhance and deepen relationships with people with dementia.
The ability to communicate is a basic human need. Without it, people feel isolated and frustrated. However, research has shown that as much as 95 per cent of communication is conveyed through facial expression, body movement, and tone of voice, and not the actual words used.
Focusing on nonverbal communication is especially needed when the ability to communicate is compromised by cognitive impairment. The nonverbal communication students will be trained to be aware of their own movement style and body language.
We thank the Salem Health and Wellness Foundation for helping fund the program. It is offered free to Salem County residents, including professional care providers and family members giving care in their homes. For more information about the Nonverbal Communications Program or other dementia programs at Friends Village, call Patience Oakes, social services, at (856)769-1500.
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Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 09:40 PM
