The Memory Care Innovation program is designed to recognize passionate and innovative industry members who are shaping the future of cognitive care across behavioral health, home health and home care, hospice and palliative care, senior housing, and skilled nursing. To see this year’s inaugural Memory Care Innovation Award winners, visit https://innovation.memorycarebusiness.com/.
To become a Memory Care Innovation Award winner, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a high-performing employee who knows how to put vision into action, and serve as an advocate for those living with memory-related disorders, and the committed professionals who ensure their well-being.
This week, Memory Care Business is sharing our interview with Valerie Cooper, vice president of life plan communities at St. Louis-based Lutheran Senior Services. Cooper talked about how her own mother’s dementia journey prompted her to get into dementia care and what the operator is doing to cater to the next generation of memory care residents.
What drew you to working in memory care?
My love for serving this population began at a young age, fostered through close relationships with my great-grandparents and grandparents. When I stepped into my first college internship, I knew it was my calling.
What’s your biggest lesson learned since starting to work in memory care?
Having experienced the journey firsthand with my own mother, I learned we must do better at recognizing who that person still is. I want to know what made them who they are and understand their passions, fears, joys and how they find purpose. No matter where you are on your journey with dementia, you’re still you!
If you could change one thing with an eye toward the future of memory care, what would it be?
I want to see a future where we allow more freedom to those living with dementia. Clearly, we must balance this with safety and security measures. But I believe having flexibility will provide more opportunities for joy and connection.
What is the biggest obstacle to being innovative in memory care, and how do you try to overcome that obstacle?
The biggest obstacle to innovation in memory care is the cost of building and reallocating spaces to meet the needs of those living with dementia. LSS is investing in a new memory support concept that creates a self-contained “town” environment with a pet shop, general store, and more called Towne Plaza at The Bluffs, opening this July at Meramec Bluffs, an LSS life plan community.
In a word, how would you describe the future of memory care?
Promising
What quality must all Memory Care Innovation Award winners possess?
A Memory Care Innovation Award winner must be a visionary with an inherent passion for recognizing that those living with dementia are more than their diagnosis—they are people worth including and celebrating.
