Respect for the individuality and dignity of each resident was the common thread among dozens of practical dementia care techniques learned by St Cabrini Nursing Home (SCNH) staff at a day-long seminar led by the nationally recognized Avila Institute of Gerontology.

The tried and true approaches shared by Avila’s Sr. Peter Lillian DiMaria, O.Carm., Director, and Carol Stathis, RN, MS, encompassed all areas of care, from feeding, bathing, and sleeping, to communications and caregiver stress. The interactive presentation is part of the Home’s many educational efforts which promote its ongoing Person Centered Care (PCC) initiative. PCC is a culture change which moves SCNH toward a social model based on individuality, collaboration and autonomy, and away from the traditional institutional model on which nursing homes were first established.

Participants are now eligible to secure Avila Dementia Care certification.

A Cabrini Mission Foundation grant supported the seminar attended by employees who care for those in religious life, as well as other residents of the home. Participants came from virtually all departments, including Nursing, Housekeeping, Recreation, Food Services, and Rehabilitation.

St. Cabrini Nursing Home is a not-for-profit, 304-bed “Quality First” skilled nursing facility which also includes St. Cabrini Home Health Care; St. Cabrini Short-Term Stay Respite Program; Msgr. Terence Attridge Adult Day Health Center, Cabrini Care at Home, and Cabrini Immigrant Services. Opened in 1973, the home is sponsored by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and part of a long tradition of caring for the elderly and chronically ill.