My dream retirement job is to be a Taste Tester at the Hershey Chocolate Factory.
Well, it was.
Now I have no plan to retire.
My colleagues will have to wheel me away from my clients when it is time for me to go.
My job is not a job. It is my life’s work and my passion. It is a privilege that I do not take for granted.
I work with adults who are experiencing brain change and their care partners.
And I work with a very experienced team who has the same passion.
As I look back on the last year, I reminisce about the people I have had the privilege of serving. I have learned from every interaction with them.
Some are no longer with us. I had the precious experience of being a part of their and their families’ lives.
I feel blessed.
As I look back on the last year with the Changing Minds team, I am amazed at our accomplishments.
•We added Rayna Neises, carepartner coach and author to our team.
•We gained a contract with the KU Alzheimer’s research center to bring the LEAP ( Lifestyle Empowerment for Alzheimer’s Prevention ) program to Wichita. We meet every month to offer education and support. The program is free of cost.
•We implemented the LEAP program along with the Positive Approach the Care program to serve the residents and team at Pioneer Manor in Hugoton, Ks. Pioneer Manor is a state of the art community dedicated to the latest research on care for their residents.
•We developed Memory Cafe, a program for those living with brain change and their families to make connections through activities.
•We served more clients in The Apollo Health Program, which offers a more intensive approach in brain health optimization.
Whew! What a year!
We want to offer a special thank you to all of our clients who are living with brain change or caring for those living with brain change.
We also want to thank all of our colleagues who have offered guidance and support.
YOU ARE OUR HEROES!
Come on, 2023! We are ready
Fiona Harper
Fiona has served the Wichita and surrounding communities for over 28 years as a registered nurse in geriatric behavioral health, emergency medicine behavioral health, behavioral home health and addiction treatment.
She has been the director of two geriatric behavioral health units. Having observed the importance of doing “with”, not “to” those living with dementia, she became certified in the Positive Approach to Care® program as a certified independent trainer and consultant. She is one of only two nurses in the United States certified as an Apollo Health ReCode® 2.0 practitioner.
Fiona’s favorite quote is “Changing minds…one brain at a time”