According to the World Health Organization, 55 million people are experiencing dementia worldwide in 2023. Symptoms include memory loss, anxiety, personality changes, and difficulty performing familiar tasks.
Caregivers are often unprepared to handle the onset of dementia symptoms; nor can they manage the changes required to keep their loved ones engaged and safe. Through her new venture, Marcia Trains, Marcia Futterman Brodie helps clients identify these deficits and provides caregivers with the tools to approach and manage the progression of the disease.
After a lengthy career in communications, most recently as director of marketing at Beth Sholom Village, Brodie completed the Certified Independent Positive Approach to Care training. As a result, she is certified to teach caregivers and family members the best practices for working with someone with cognitive impairment. Through a series of workshops and consultations, she teaches the various skills required of a trained professional in a senior community or a family member living in the home.
Brodie emphasizes building a positive relationship by adapting to the brain changes rather than focusing on what is lost.
“Whether meeting someone for business or talking to someone with cognitive impairment, creating a connection is imperative for a successful relationship,” explains Brodie, who also offers training in soft skills for professional and business development.
“It may not feel intuitive to group soft skills and working with those cognitively impaired together, but the past few decades of my life have shown me that the tools we need to connect and communicate effectively are very similar in both situations,” she says.
A Norfolk native, Brodie moved back to the area in 2002 to be closer to her aging parents, Mindy and Ralph Futterman, of blessed memory. During each of their illnesses, she learned the importance of the right level of support in her parents’ various ability stages. Brodie says “I know now that I could not change the outcome of this disease, but I could have created a more positive experience for my parents and me as the primary caregiver.”
From these personal experiences and her professional involvement in senior care, Brodie founded Marcia Trains to highlight and teach best practices so that everyone can shine during these trying times.
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For more information, visit marciatrains.com.
-Stephanie Peck