Transforming Memory Care Experiences with CDP Training at Discovery

Cody Tower has been in senior living leadership roles for the past 24 years. As the Regional Director of Operations for Discovery Management Group’s Longhorn division, Cody realized there was an opportunity to improve their memory care offering in his region. At Discovery Village At Dominion located in San Antonio, TX Cody was meeting with memory care residents and families monthly who were frustrated with an inability to provide the care and programming that was expected. The situation escalated to where families were demanding change. Cody had taken decisive steps to improve care. He hired an experienced Executive Director with a background in both senior care and hospitality with a passion for serving memory care communities. In process improvement discussions, one of the things that kept coming up was team training. “We recognized there was an opportunity. We have a great memory care program at DSL called SHINE, with a lot of really meaningful elements, but we also needed to improve the training structure for our frontline caregivers,” said Tower. “That’s where NCCDP’s (The National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners) Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Curriculum came into play. I wish I would have known earlier that this existed.”

Once NCCDP was identified as a training partner, the local team created a dedicated training center within the memory care community so they would have space to train on a regular basis. With encouragement of his supervisor, and in order to keep it at a grassroots level, Cody became a Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer (CADDCT) and his new Executive Director became a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP). The Memory Care Director had a degree in memory care, so they were off to a solid start from a leadership perspective. The team set out on an initiative to get every memory care team member certified as a CDP. Training started in the Texas Region and will continue into the West. The first training was with 22 team members, then expanded into other Dallas Fort Worth communities. “I’ve been so grateful for the many jobs a person can do. Working in this environment is not easy, with multiple challenges on a daily basis. To be able to give these folks research-based material and information with the opportunity to become a certified practitioner in their field of choice makes them experts in their field. There’s a lot of pride in that,” said Tower.

Training did not stop with caregivers. Sales leaders also have received certification. It’s important for them to better understand the disease process and what both families and residents are going through to allow them to better connect and instill confidence in DSL’s abilities.

Family members started to see the training happening and promises being executed, and it led to remarkable change. Today, the community is 90% occupied. “The engagement has totally changed, the quality of our product and delivery has improved. The CDP training and curriculum has been a key element to the larger quality initiative at Discovery Village. It sets us apart in the market and we are promoting that to the community. It’s not just knowledge, but it’s touched people’s hearts in a way that confirms their abilities as career experts while validating that their chosen career path is making a huge difference.”

Since the Spring of 2024, Cody has successfully trained approximately 100 CDPs across 5 communities. Dawn Platt, National Director of Memory Care for Discovery Senior Living (DSL) is also a Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer (CADDCT). She oversees the SHINE® program and memory care initiatives for the company, building DSL into a national leader in memory care services. Leveraging the NCCDP’s curriculum and expertise has the potential to improve care and services in more than one community in San Antonio. It’s Cody’s hope that the training efforts will be rolled out nationwide.

“We have an attractive product with beautiful buildings and quality programs, but now we’re building up people with knowledge, training and expertise. That helps us on the business side to satisfy families and retain residents longer due to improved care”, said Tower. “Even the training books themselves are a resource that can be used on an ongoing basis for reference. We continue learning enrichment by reviewing the principles.”