MindAlert Workshop

COGNITIVE FITNESS CONFERENCE HELD AT SHERRILL HOUSE

Sherrill House, the premier not-for-profit nursing center in Boston providing short-term rehabilitation, traditional long-term care, and Alzheimer’s and dementia care, hosted a day-long MindAlert seminar for elder care professionals on January 10.  The program, Creative Engagement for the Heart and Mind, was presented by Susan Perlstein, MSW, Director of Education and Training at the National Center for Creative Aging in Washington, D.C. and founder of Elders Share the Arts, an award-winning agency in NYC. 

Sherrill House was one of fifteen organizations nationwide to receive funding from the MetLife MindAlert program in conjunction with the American Society on Aging to present a “train the trainer” event.  Over fifty professionals from a wide variety of aging services agencies throughout the Boston area attended the program, which was designed to familiarize participants with creative tools to promote healthy aging and cognitive fitness.  Ms. Perlstein demonstrated and discussed a range of techniques, including visualization, story sharing, sense memory learning, visual art and writing, that participants can use in their work with older adults.

Sherrill House CEO Patrick Stapleton said, “The MindAlert training program provided both Sherrill House staff and elder service professionals from the Boston area with an exceptional opportunity to explore new ways to structure and implement programs for the elders we serve, including those with significant cognitive impairments.  The program enabled us to bring a large group of people with a shared interest in healthy aging and cognitive fitness together, and we look forward to an ongoing exchange of ideas in the months ahead.”