Staff Training with Megan Carnarius, RN, NHA, LMT
The first presentation Megan asked us to watch before her live teaching was titled “Companioning Changing Behaviors and Emotional Expression: Understanding the Behaviors of Those We Care for Through the Stages of this Process.” In this 45 minute presentation Megan outlines the stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, and describes ways that we can change our attitudes and approaches to create more successful connections and communication, to work with behaviors in a skillful way.
During the two-hour training she recently did for our Windhorse Elder Care team, she went through specific tips and tools for working with complex behaviors that arise with dementia and shared stories and examples from her many years doing this work. She also reminded us that using humor is always important when working with people with challenging behaviors. There was an opportunity for our staff to ask questions specific to the clients that we work with at the end of the teaching, which really invited us to drop-in more directly and deepened the discussion.
Many thanks to Megan for sharing her knowledge and wisdom with us here at WEC!
About Megan Carnarius
Megan Carnarius is a registered nurse (RN), a licensed nursing home administrator (NHA), and a licensed massage therapist (LMT) who has completed trainings in both Europe and the United States. In 1989, Megan managed the first skilled memory care nursing setting in Boulder County, and ran it, deficiency-free, for 6-1/2 years. Megan served on the Alzheimer’s education committee for 15 years, and continues to provide trainings and lectures on all topics related to memory care. She started consulting in memory care design in 1996, which resulted in an award-winning memory care facility, and she continues to assist owners with building designs as well as program and operational development.
She served as an adjunct faculty member at Naropa University in their master’s program in gerontology and healthcare administration. Certified by the Colorado Health Department to operate Assisted Living/Board and Care Homes for the elderly, Megan was the executive director for Balfour Cherrywood Village, a secure memory care assisted living residence for 52 elders that also provides adult daycare to participants from the surrounding community. She served in this position for 14 years. In 2015, Megan published her book “A Deeper Perspective on Alzheimer’s and Other Dementia’s Practical Tools with Spiritual Insights” (Findhorn Press Scotland) which is available in four languages and on Audible.