Texas Comes Together for Change

by, Suzette Molina, The Eden Alternative

On Friday September 28th, over 200 culture change advocates convened in San Marcos, Texas, for the 2nd annual Texas Culture Change Coalition Symposium. It is was a day full of presentations and demonstrations from various culture change experts, including former Deputy Division Director for the Nursing Homes Division at CMS, Karen Schoeneman, who discussed transforming the dining experience; Penny Seay, Executive Director of the Texas Center for Disability Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, who spoke about person-centered care planning and Donna Newman-Bluestein, Dance Movement Therapist with People living with Dementia. The day concluded with key-note speaker Dr. Richard Taylor, who gave attendees a firsthand account of what it’s really like to live daily with dementia. He spoke about his diagnosis, isolation, fear, and empowerment. Attendees were entertained by ballroom dance instructor Jeffrey Masiongale, as he demonstrated the benefits of ballroom dancing as a therapeutic modality. Click here for presentation handouts. To learn more about the Texas Culture Change Coalition, visit http://txccc.net.