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01/12/2023 10:51 AMThey say necessity is the mother of all invention and often a great idea is a simple one. Dr. Robin Ely spent decades as a nurse and administrator when her idea for a senior daycare and dementia care facility developed into reality.
Robin, who has made several presentations at the Madison Senior Center about dementia and aging, has been a nurse since 1993 and spent years honing her skills and gaining insight into what patients truly need regarding their care.
“I plugged along doing regular nursing work. I worked at a nursing home first and then I worked in a hospital experience, and I did that for about four years,” Robin says. “Then I went back to the nursing home industry because I wanted to do administrative work. I did that, becoming director of nurses at several area nursing homes.”
Robin’s own health issues led her to make the decision to go back to school to obtain a nursing doctorate. Her goal? To bring her concept of an easily accessible and compassionate dementia care facility for seniors to reality.
“I said I need to do something else, and I went back to school to get my DNP, my Doctor of Nursing Practice. And I focused on the Montessori method of dementia care,” says Robin.
Like the school-based method of Montessori, Robin’s facilities focus on individual treatment and not a one-size-fits-all style of care.
“Most people have heard about this method for children; it’s about the person’s own natural interests and adapting to the environment. There are 10 key principles of approaches to care, and some of those are giving as much independence as possible—as much choice, demonstrating things, adapting the environment, adapting the games that we play,” says Robin. “Traditionally in a nursing home, there are strict schedules and not everyone fits into that. Here at Mind Matters, it is a social model of care. My staff are, for the most part, retired nurses.”
In 2016, Robin’s idea eventually developed into two sites, one in Old Saybrook and another in Groton, where seniors and their families could rely on compassionate and responsive care for adults with varying levels of dementia. Mind Matters, LLC is a fully accredited facility that focuses on social and collective programs that keep seniors engaged while also providing the care and flexibility that those suffering from dementia need.
“Socialization is key. I am a big believer in that, and I also believe that adding in physical activity is better for people. So we take walks, and we go all over the beautiful sidewalks in Old Saybrook. We also play cornhole, ring toss, and basketball right here in the building. Being physical is a big part of the program, but we also have a lot of people who are very creative so we focus on that, which is great for this time of year,” says Robin. “If we learned anything from COVID, it’s that people don’t do well in isolation. It can be very lonely for people, and it is extremely important and is a huge part of our model to keep people engaged.”
The care can be transformative, according to Robin, for both the seniors and their families.
“We are in our fifth year and that is very exciting. Though we do have turnover, simply because that is the nature of this disease and that is unfortunate, but they get to stay in their homes longer. They get to be happy,” says Robin. “And the caregivers are who can really benefit from these programs. Caregivers, the children, or spouses of those with dementia are understandably nervous about leaving their loved one anywhere, and I can’t blame them. But as a nurse, I found many folks find themselves in a situation where they have no access to resources, no anything. So, this type of care provides the families a place for them so that they can have a little break for themselves. We also have a caregiver support group as well at this location once a month. People are welcome whether they use our facility or not.”
Providing compassion for caregivers is also central to how Robin and her staff offer care.
“Caregiver burnout is a big issue. We often recommend to caregivers that they don’t drop off their loved one here, simply to go out and do errands or laundry or chores, which is obviously something that a family needs to do, but we emphasize that they need to go out and do activities that allow them to relieve stress,” Robin says. “Simply going to lunch with friends, go to the library, go to yoga class. Whatever is, that is important to be able to include time for yourself. Caregiver burnout can be overwhelming, and keeping yourself is an essential part of this whole process.”
The pandemic’s impact on shoreline businesses, including Robin’s, eventually forced her to close temporarily. Though she is not yet back to a five-day-a-week program, the three-day-a-week model has been steadily improving the lives of all those who are part of Mind Matters programming.
“We don’t need any formal diagnosis to place people here. There are millions of Americans affected by [dementia illness], and there is no cure right now. There are some medications that can provide a little bit of help, but it is a chronic long-term illness,” says Robin. “It can be really sad because many people tend to have denial about the illness. Little by little your independence goes away, loved ones begin asking, ‘Where are you going? What are you doing?’ But here I let people do what they want to a certain degree. If they go to the fridge for a drink, I let them, I don’t ask what they’re doing. We obviously have alarms on the doors, but we try to foster a sense of socialization while still allowing some measure of independence. They really end up liking this because they see their loved one happy and engaged. They develop friendships, and the socialization and physicality have been proven to help mitigate the effects of dementia.”
Robin says that her experience also allows her to create a model that adapts to the individual and helps her coordinate levels of care, which for those afflicted with dementia is a constantly shifting and fluid condition.
Robin doesn’t rely on TV to placate her seniors. Days at the facility are spent playing cards, games like cornhole, and music sessions where everyone gets involved.
“We really try and work for folks as long as we can, but eventually people need different levels of care. As long as the people here are happy, that is what we focus on,” says Robin. “The only thing on our TV is an aquarium scene. We do a lot of music. I play violin and we have maracas and jingle things and tambourines. They join in and sing. Music is really important to them.”
Robin’s facility also provides free caregiver tips and advice via the Mind Matters Facebook page. Everything from legal issues to establishing routines to knowing what resources are available to caregivers and their loved ones is crucial, says Robin.
“Every other week we put out a video and also publish a newsletter that provides information and tips. I am very excited because we are getting feedback on that and people are very thankful for that,” Robin says. “We encourage anyone with questions to reach out to us.”
For more information about Mind Matters, visit mindmattersct.com or call 860-395-7030.