CONGRATULATIONS to the Yucalta Dementia Dream Team on winning Local Healthcare Hero awards this year.
Emily Smith and Rebecca Hoegler just wanted to makes the lives of the residents of Yucalta Lodge’s dementia ward a bit better. The goal was to initially give the residents a sense of home and to reduce the institutional feel of the facility. Over the past year, the Dementia Dream Team have held multiple farmers markets for the residents, brought in entertainment, redecorated the residents’ rooms, added a bus stop and many other features. While many of the steps taken are small things, Smith and Hoegler say they make a big difference in the minds of the people living there, adding a bit of normalcy, comfort and opportunities that they would not usually have at a nursing home.
