Navigating the Journey Together
Meet Melanie...
While serving as an educator within a long-term care community, Melanie invested hours in training health care professionals and families about dementia. Along the way, she encountered the most valiant heroes: people living with dementia. They showed her the importance of being present in the moment, going with the flow, discovering moments of joy, and helping the world around them make meaningful connections.
After considerable experience training hundreds of people, Melanie launched Dementia Pathfinders. Her aim is to come alongside families and caregivers, offering support in the midst of dementia.
Together we will:
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discover what's happening in the brain
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explore options for connecting well
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respond using methods rooted in Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care® (PAC™)
Credentials:
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Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from Calvin University in 1997
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Registered Nurse, licensed through the State of Michigan
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Positive Approach to Care® Certified Dementia Trainer (PAC-CDT/L), Tier 3
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Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP)
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Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Certified Rater
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Eden Alternative® member
Pathfinders...
Melanie grew up in West Michigan, developing an affection for hiking along woodland paths and enjoying the beauty of nature. After marrying her high school sweetheart, her family charted many outdoor adventures while raising four boys to men. They hiked many trails together, some rigorous and others meandering. They helped each other see the beauty along the way. Melanie's husband taught her the importance of savoring the journey of paths of life -- not only in the great outdoors but each day we breathe.
The name, Dementia Pathfinders, arose in light of the metaphor of walking the path of life. With dementia, steep, rocky, exhausting moments can turn the corner and reveal unexpected beauty. Sometimes we lose the way and search for others to show us the next steps. We need one another. Having others alongside bring benefits of navigating the path as well as seeing beauty we could otherwise miss.
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11
The Forget-Me-Not
These dainty blue flowers with sunshine-yellow centers are often found along woodland paths. For centuries, the Forget-Me-Not has served as a timeless emblem of enduring affection, love, remembrance, devotion, and fidelity. In recent years, its symbol of "never forgetting" has been adopted by many raising awareness for those affected by dementias.
Dementia carries a cultural stigma centered on "their forgetfulness." But, dementia is so much more memory loss.
It is a condition that affects the whole brain.
We use the Forget-Me-Not to remind ourselves as care partners not to forget our person. They are still very much alive and vibrant -- they are just different.