August 2021
ROBIN FISH/ENTERPRISE
A YEAR OF LIVING
Betsy Meyer, left, is the dementia friendly Park Rapids coordinator; Connie Carmichael is the executive director of Living at Home of the Park Rapids Area.
dementia friendly Project is already having an impact
By Robin Fish rfish@parkrapidsenterprise.com On June 30, the Dementia-Friendly Park Rapids action team closed out a one-year, $50,000 grant to promote memory loss awareness. Connie Carmichael, executive director of Living at Home of the Park Rapids Area (LAH), and Betsy Meyer, part-time coordinator of the dementia-friendly community program, recently reviewed the progress they made and the next steps in view. “The thing is, you don’t just become dementia friendly and then you’re done,” said Carmichael. “It’s an ongoing thing; it’s a forever thing, until they find a cure and there’s no dementia. We’re always striving to be dementia friendly.”
She called it a process of educating people about what resources are available in the community and where to call for help. “It’s a journey,” said Carmichael. “For some people, it’s a year or two. For some people it’s a 10- or 15-year journey. And those needs change along their path.” They’ve applied for funding for another year, she said, but it’s a competitive grant and awards may not be announced for weeks. “Betsy’s position was originally funded through that first grant,” she said. But despite uncertainty about whether they will be funded, Carmichael hinted that Dementia-Friendly Park Rapids has become one of LAH’s core services and she feels it needs to be an ongoing commitment. “Because it’s the only home for a dementia-friendly community, as far as who’s going to make sure that it’s gonna happen,” she said.
DEMENTIA FRIENDLY: Page 3
Inside this issue... 2 Tomato Frenzy 4 Social Security perk for older parents 4 Helping those who are grieving 5 Peach Pasta Salad 6 Beware of declining money management skills 8 Dementia-friendly ‘Yesteryear Kits’ available
