This week, Julie and Inga were joined by Kerry Nagel, CNA, CDP, and Jennifer Crowley, BSN, RN, CLCP, MSCC, CADDCT, CDP. Though finding themselves on very different paths throughout their lives, Nagel and Crowley both have made an incredible impact on the dementia care field.
Kerry Nagel
Kerry Nagel, CNA, CDP, a Certified Dementia Practitioner and Certified Nursing Assistant, is the owner of Attend, LLC, who also puts on dementia classes at Flathead Valley Community College. Nagel became interested in specialized dementia and end of life care around 2016, after being inspired by her first patient. From there, she sought out the unique opportunity in professionally bridging the gap between care providers and patients, and started her journey as a dementia navigator.
A dementia navigator bridges the gap between patient and doctor, orienting those on both ends about the other. In other words, dementia navigators not only help the patients in understanding the diagnosis, but also aid in helping the doctors understand a client’s medical history. Now the owner of Attend, LLC, Nagel partners with families in order to give them a better understanding of dementia, develop a care plan, build a care team, and learn caregiving skills and concepts.
Kerry Nagel also offers a six-week workshop course at Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC) to educate anyone interested in learning more about dementia. The class takes place once a week, for two hours, and discusses brain lobes, memory, memory issues, communication, health and balance for everyone involved, behavior, assembling care plans, and understanding and recognizing different stages of dementia.
Kerry Nagel can be contacted at attendllc@gmail.com and via her website at www.attendllc.net.
Jennifer Crowley
Jennifer Crowley, BSN, RN, CLCP, MSCC, CADDCT, CDP, a registered nurse of twenty years, is the founder of the Life Care Management Institute and overarching company, Eagleview West. Ever since she could remember, Crowley dreamed of becoming a nurse with a passion to advocate for clients. She is also the author of 7 Steps to Long-Term Care Planning and The Life Care Management Handbook.
Eagleview West aims to help clients navigate difficult situations in conjunction with the guidance of health care professionals. Geographical distance, lack of knowledge, and financial struggle are a few examples of ways a client seeking care might be inhibited from doing so. Life Care Management helps families in this situation by first conducting an assessment. The assessment evaluates what is currently being done, what needs to be done, what’s likely to be coming in the near future, and what can be done to further stabilize the situation. Following the assessment, Life Care Management professionals work to map out a client’s options, and thus, successfully prepare a care plan.
Along with founding Eagleview West, Crowley is involved in the Alzheimer’s Association as a teacher. Her program is designed to certify dementia practitioners, a program that both Julie and Inga have completed. Crowley also conducts seminars to educate individuals throughout the community.
Get in touch with Jennifer Crowley at https://www.eagleviewwest.com/about.html.