Pioneer Network’s “On the Road: Hearing the Voices of Persons With Dementia” will be coming to Boise on Thursday, Nov. 6. The event is co-sponsored by the Boise State Center for the Study of Aging.
Pioneer Network was founded in 1997 with the mission to change the culture of senior citizens care in the hospice environment. They believe that the quality of life and living for America’s elders is rooted in a supportive community and cemented by relationships that respect everyone as individuals regardless of age, medical condition or limitations. Pioneer Network representatives travel the nation advocating for person-centered care, care or treatment that is based on the goals of the individual.
The guides for this event are two Pioneer Network advocates Sonya Barsness and Karen Stobbe. Barsness is a masters-prepared gerontologist with nearly twenty years of experience in aging, primarily in dementia and long term care. Stobbe was a working actress, director, writer, and instructor of theater but now has focused her time and efforts on the development of compassionate caregiving. Together, these women have developed a Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services’ Hand in Hand training toolkit which provides nursing homes with a high-quality training program that emphasizes quality care of persons with dementia and the prevention of abuse. The toolkit has been distributed to every nursing home in the country. Throughout the duration of the program, these women will discuss how person-centered care is possible for those who live with dementia.
The registration fee for this event is $139 for providers and $59 for residents and their families. Online registration is available at www.pioneernetwork.net/events/ontheroad. Registration check in and onsite registration will be held at the Boise State University Student Union Building in the Jordan Ballroom on the day of the event. Check in will be begin at 8:30 a.m. and the program will last from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.