the legacy of Virginia Bell

There is perhaps no better way to celebrate Senior Citizens Awareness Month than to honor the legacy and memory of Lexington senior living advocate, Virginia Bell.

Bell died peacefully at the age of 100 in her home on the evening of April 8, 2023, with family at her side and with plans for the Easter service the next morning. She was born June 30, 1922, in Harrison County, KY.

“This movement to make our city Dementia Friendly has been a dream of Lexington native, Virginia Bell,” Amber Lakin, Chairperson of the Dementia Friendly Lexington Advisory Board, said as the program began to gain recognition.

Bell was widely lauded for her work in adult day care, developing one of the first dementia-specific adult day programs in the country, using a unique method of care based on friendship, known as the Best Friends Approach.

This approach is celebrated for its positive philosophy stressing dignity and techniques for success when facing a challenging disease.

In 1992, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Transylvania University. In 1999, she received the Senior Award from the American Society on Aging for her dedication to the significant contribution that older persons can make to society. She was inducted into the UK Social Work Hall of Fame and received the Sullivan Award from the University of Kentucky in 2004. In 2022, at the age of 100, she received an honorary doctorate from University of Kentucky. Throughout her career, she penned numerous articles and books and lectured both nationally and internationally on the Best Friends approach to dementia care, as well as on spirituality and aging with Wayne. They were proud to have visited forty countries around the globe during their adventuresome years together.

A memorial service will be held at Central Christian Church, Lexington, KY, at 2 pm Saturday, May 13, with a reception to follow. Contributions in Virginia’s honor and memory may be made to: The Virginia Bell Best Friends Endowment Fund, Christian Care Communities, 12710 Townepark Way, Louisville, KY 40243 or Central Christian Church, 219 East Short Street, Lexington, KY 40507 or to a charity of your choosing that exemplifies Virginia’s work and spirit.

At age 60, Bell earned a Master of Social Work at UK, began her second career at UK’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and created the Best Friends Approach to dementia care, a model adopted by care facilities, nursing homes and day treatment centers around the world. While acknowledging the medical and psychological challenges of dementia, the Best Friends Approach emphasizes and respects the humanity of people with dementia and focuses on relationshipcentered care. Understanding that each person has a life history, identity and talents, the Best Friends Approach embraces the human need for connection through interpersonal interaction, activity, dignity and respect.

The approach, and Bell herself, received numerous honors, grants and awards, including recognition by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging. Bell twice has served on the Kentucky Governor’s Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease; she received UK’s Sullivan Award in 2004; she was inducted into the UK Social Work Hall of Fame (2010) and she received the UK Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni Award (2010).

While she officially retired in 1993, Bell remained a constant mentor to the Best Friends program, conducting training for volunteers, attending activities at day centers, traveling throughout the world to help establish new programs and serving as a keynote speaker at national and international conferences. Around the time of her 100th birthday in June 2022, Bell addressed a global meeting on Alzheimer’s disease, continuing her efforts to recognize that beneath the challenges of dementia lies a person of value with a past, present and future.

The City of Lexington is now accepting applicants for the Teachers’ Environmental Academy. In its fourth year, participating educators take part in a week-long workshop focused on environmental challenges in Lexington.

The workshop series, June 12 – 16 for elementary teachers and July 10 – 14 for middle/high teachers, is open to kindergarten through 12th-grade educators who work in public or private schools in Fayette County. Workshops will focus on multi-modal transportation, waste management and water quality.

“Thanks to what I learned from the Teachers’ Environmental Academy, I was able to develop a project where students researched issues faced by our wastewater treatment process,” says Veronica Boller, STEM Educator and Sustainability Coordinator at Coventry Oak Elementary. “They learned about things they could do to make a positive impact on our sewer systems while also getting exposed to potential engineering jobs for their futures. I highly recommend this program to other teachers!”

Educators will receive training in curricula aligned to the Kentucky Academic Standards: Don’t Waste It, Project WET, Project WILD and Population Education. Teachers who complete the Academy by participating in all five days will receive a $500 stipend or have costs for a substitute reimbursed. Participants will tour the Lexington Recycle Center, the Town Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant and other facilities. Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day. Applications are open through Monday, May 15.

The Fayette County Board of Education has confirmed that Friday, May 26, will be the last day of classes because Fayette County Public Schools will have met the state requirements for instructional days and hours in the 2022-23 school year without using weather make-up days. The board also agreed to add five flexible staff development days to allow employees to complete their contract obligations. The affected work calendars will be updated online this week.

In addition, district leaders released the schedule for high school graduations in Rupp Arena, which will follow the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

The team from Henry Clay High School has won the Kentucky High School Speech League’s State Debate Tournament for the 10th straight year. Henry Clay also received the 2023 Sustained Excellence Award, which goes to the team with the top accumulated points over consecutive years. After receiving this honor, a team’s points reset to zero. Henry Clay last earned this award in 2020, when it was established.

“To say that I am proud of these kids would be a massive understatement. I am beyond proud! I tell them at every tournament we attend how proud they make me with their hard work and determination to succeed,” said Ryan Ray, Henry Clay’s speech and debate coach.

Paul Laurence Dunbar was runner-up in the state tournament, which drew 12 participating schools March 24-25 at host Transylvania University.