Dementia authority to speak at Good Shepherd Home

When Good Shepherd Home in Fostoria brings in Teepa Snow, it will be hosting the foremost authority in dementia and interacting with those suffering from it, according to Executive Director Chris Widman. Snow, the founder and chief executive officer of Positive Approach to Care in North Carolina, will host four workshops on Oct. 25 and 26 in the lower level of Good Shepherd Home, 725 Columbus Ave. They are free and open to the public. "Literally, she has written the book on understanding and interacting with people with dementia," Widman said, noting that Snow has written a number of books and produced many videos on the topic. "So, everyone will benefit from attending one of these sessions. It doesn't matter if you are a caregiver. It doesn't matter if you live with someone with dementia, currently. All of us interact with people with dementia. Sometimes we don't know it. If you work or you interact with people with dementia. Sometimes, we don't know it. If you work or you interact with the public, there's going to be someone in that public who's going to come and interact with you who has dementia -- one stage or another of dementia." Widman pointed to particular situations in which people may find themselves while in the company of those with dementia. "How do you respond to a person when they appear to be acting inappropriately?" he said. "She gives you an idea of how to identify and then how to de-escalate situations," he said. "Everyone can benefit from that type of thing. And then, specifically, if you are living with somebody who has Alzheimer's or other dementia, you will gain a better understanding of how to interact with that person going forward -- how to re-establish relationships (in ways that) aren't hostile or causing irritation. You're going to be able to de-escalate and just interact. That is what she is the expert in -- how to teach and to show techniques to interact." Snow previously came to Fostoria several years ago after Widman and Alzheimer's Unit Director Kim Reiter heard her speak at a conference in Columbus. Good Shepherd Home has subsequently utilized Snow's philosophies for a number of years. "One of our goals in bringing her here is to teach the families why their loved ones do the things they do and how they can prevent negative outcomes," Reiter said. "A lot of our job is teaching families because they don't understand it. I tell them all the time to go on YouTube and look at Teepa's clips on there." Reiter added: "(Snow) is trying to encourage moments of joy. Grasping those moments where the person's happy, and don't look at the whole day, but think, 'Oh, this worked well now,' to find those little pieces of joy in their life."Melanie Birch, Good Shepherd Home's marketing and communications director, and coworker Mary Watson in 2018 became certified trainers of Snow's Positive Approach to Care. "It (asks) caregivers to see the world through the eyes of someone with dementia because the more we can relate to what their world's like, the better we're going to be able to come to their level and meet them there instead of expecting them to meet us where we are, because that's not going to work," Birch said. Snow, 67, originally studied zoology at Duke University before gravitating to the neuro-rehabilitation team at Duke Medical Center. She has maintained connections to Duke and the University of North Carolina through the years as well as developing and teaching her program. "Rewiring our own perceptions, attitudes, communication strategies, actions and responses provides the shift that promotes change for the others around us," Snow is quoted as saying at teepasnow.com. Snow will present "Making Moments of Joy for Those Living with Dementia and Making Visits Valuable and Positive," from 5 to 7 p.m., Oct. 25 at Good Shepherd Home. The next day, "Typical Progression of Dementia How to Help" is slated for 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., followed by "Improving Your Hands-On Skills for Giving Care" from 10 a.m. to noon and "Why Do They Do That? Understanding Symptoms and Situations of Dementia" from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. For more information, email to kreiter@goodshepherdhome.com or mbirch@goodshepherdhome.com.