Lexington, Va. – Kendal at Lexington announced today that they were awarded a grant from the Rockbridge Community Health Foundation in collaboration with the Carilion Rockbridge Community Hospital for their “Community Experts on Dementia and Aging” project. The older adult residential community was granted the full amount requested. The grant will run July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.
This grant will be used to provide a Dementia Behavior De-escalation Training program for professionals in the greater Lexington community, including police, firefighters and other emergency personnel, as well as older adult service providers, including the Kendal at Lexington team. Dementia Capable Care Training uses the Claudia Allen Cognitive Disabilities Model in conjunction with Thomas Kitwood’s model of person-centered care to provide caregivers the tools needed to best support those living at various stages of dementia. Dementia Capable Care strives to shift paradigms from focusing on what those living with dementia can’t do, to focusing on what their remaining abilities are, and then helping them to thrive at each level.
The remainder of the grant will be used toward setting up “Virtual Dementia Tours” for the Kendal at Lexington staff, as well as the surrounding Lexington community. This program allows people to experience a simulation of the hardships individuals living with dementia experience when trying to accomplish typical daily tasks. This often-emotional experience will help participants gain more perspective and a deeper level of understanding of how to support those with dementia. The public will be made aware of opportunities to participate through local news outlets.
“We are so honored to have received this grant from the Rockbridge Community Health Foundation in collaboration with the Carilion Rockbridge Community Hospital,” said Jan Bigelow, CEO of Kendal at Lexington. “This venture helps Kendal at Lexington accomplish our strategic goals of being an expert on aging and dementia and expanding our relationship with the broader community. We are eager to get these programs started and to continue to educate our community on issues that not only impact the residents and staff at Kendal at Lexington but are being experienced everywhere.”
“Rockbridge Community Health Foundation received many great application requests during this cycle. We are excited to grant this funding to Kendal at Lexington and look forward to seeing the impact in the community,” said Hattie Myers, Chief Administrator for Rockbridge Community Health Foundation.
The Rockbridge Community Health Foundation works to provide grants to local organizations that help support the health and wellness of members of the Lexington community, as well as surrounding areas.
To learn more about Kendal at Lexington, please visit https://kalex.kendal.org/.
About Kendal at Lexington
Kendal at Lexington is a Life Plan retirement community nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. It is affiliated with the Kendal System, a not-for-profit organization based in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
About Kendal
Founded on Quaker principles and guided by its Values and Practices, the operating Kendal affiliates provide independent living, assisted living, memory support, skilled nursing and rehabilitation care in eight states. Kendal-affiliated Life Plan communities are located in Hanover, New Hampshire; Ithaca and Sleepy Hollow, New York; Northampton and Easthampton, Massachusetts; Lexington, Virginia; metro Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Kennett Square, West Chester and Newtown, Pennsylvania; and Oberlin, Ohio. Enso Village, a Zen-inspired Life Plan Community, currently is under development in Healdsburg, California. In Ohio, Kentucky and Massachusetts, Kendal at Home combines the benefits of a continuing care retirement community with the freedom and independence of living at home.
