Concord Senior Living Center Trains Residents On Dementia

Concord Park Senior Living in Concord and Nashoba Park Assisted Living in Ayer recently took part in an interactive and experiential dementia awareness and communication training program.

The training program is part of the Dementia Friendly Communities Initiative, a public education program created by Senior Living Residences (SLR), the management company for both Concord and Nashoba Park, in order to combat the social stigma and misconceptions that accompany dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and related cognitive impairments.

The training included the Dementia Experience, an interactive training program that uses sensory modifications to give participants certain physical and mental limitations and asks them to perform activities that highlight the danger in living alone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. In addition, it explains how isolation, nutrition and medication error can lead to unnecessary complications while also providing a experience of what it would be like to have dementia.

“We want to see more dementia-friendly communities, where individuals with Alzheimer’s or dementia feel safe and can remain independent and active in their home towns for as long as possible,“ Maryellen King, director of Community Relations at Concord Park, said in a statement. “Building understanding and empathy in our communities is the first step.”