Primrose Retirement Communities has partnered with NCCDP to provide dementia training across its 34 communities in 17 states. Adhering to their core values and mission of providing happy and healthy environments for both our residents and staff, Primrose has invested in their people, providing Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care training to caregivers, department leaders, and even their sales teams. To date, more than 70 staff members have been trained across home office and community-based leadership at their 12 Silver Lace Memory Communities. The next training will roll out training to an additional 22 communities, creating hundreds of Certified Dementia Professionals on their care staff.
Melanie Perry has been leading the charge as both the Life Enrichment and Cognitive Wellbeing Specialist and dementia trainer for Primrose. Melanie has been committed to eldercare, and specifically dementia care for 32 years. She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Trainer, Montessori Dementia Care Professional, and has been named one of four Distinguished Educators of the Year by the NCCDP in 2019. As a Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer (CADDCT) for over 20 years, she has trained hundreds of Certified Dementia professionals. She notes “Caring for our elders is a noble profession, and they deserve our best efforts to give back to them.”
“Caring for our elders is a noble profession, and they deserve our best efforts to give back to them.”
Primrose has made a significant commitment to train staff across their 34 communities by paving the way for community team members to take the 8 hours of CDP training. Melanie said “Primrose is committed to doing things the right way, putting the residents at the center of our efforts. With more and more people being diagnosed and living with Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of Dementia, while the numbers continue to rise, we want to be able to provide the highest standards of care and best quality of life.”
The reaction team members have had to the training has been phenomenal. Some are newer to eldercare and had very little dementia training. Attendees have remarked the training has been incredibly meaningful and can be directly applied on a daily basis within the Silver Lace neighborhoods. Sales Directors are also trained so they can speak in an informed way to families of people living with dementia as they move into a Silver Lace neighborhood. It has been eye opening for many.
“Primrose values the partnership with NCCDP. Evern though we are just getting started with these trainings, as an NCCDP trainer who believes in the curriculum and process, I’m very excited to bring this training to Primrose.” – Melanie Perry
The training curriculum is not just academic. CDP candidates gain an understanding the difference between types of dementia like Lewy Body vs. Alzheimer’s, but training also imbues them with a sense of empathy, knowing that structural changes in the brain are affecting the symptoms accompanying their residents’ diagnoses. Active nights, vivid dreams, moments of upset, and behavioral expressions can be better served when team members better understand the underlying diagnosis.
Primrose is a long-standing successful company for over 35 years, committed to doing things the right way. Primrose continues to be open-minded when it comes to new services, continued education and is committed to best practices to be an ever evolving and forward-thinking organization. Among Primrose’s core values are relentless improvement and openness to change, which builds strong caregivers committed to doing ever better for their residents.
Melanie remarked “Primrose values the partnership with NCCDP. Even though we are just getting started with our trainings, as an NCCDP trainer who believes in the curriculum and process, I’m very excited to bring this training to Primrose.”
Melanie Perry, M.S., CDP, CADDCT, CMDCP, 2019 Distinguished Educator of the Year.
