The Harvest Moon Welcomes the Autumnal Equinox

This week we celebrate the beginning of Fall with the Autumnal Equinox on September 20. Fun fact, the word “equinox” comes from Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” and nox, ”night.” Therefore on the equinox, day and night are roughly equal in length. And in the Fall, that means the start of days are getting shorter; I have a feeling I will keep them full no matter how much sunshine I see.

"Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits." ~ Samuel Butler

I am pleased to announce I am now a Certified Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Care Trainer® and Certified Dementia Practitioner® with the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP). I am able to train others to become Certified Dementia Practitioners as well. I met some nice people in class this week and look forward to developing more relationships with those on similar journeys.

This certification establishes that I have gone through extended training in dementia-specific care practices and have demonstrated competency in training others in these practices also. I will use it now to establish myself as a dementia expert in the community by providing education to local facilities. It will also come in handy once I start to hire staff as I will be able to train them as well.

"The top experts in the world are ardent students. The day you stop learning, you're definitely not an expert." ~ Brendon Burchard

When I attended the Spotlight event this week, I made my first contact for a dementia training request so I am excited to follow up with that opportunity. At the event, I was also able to connect with a couple of gentlemen that work in other facilities around town and I was fortunate to be able to tour their locations to see what works well for them so I can incorporate their best practices in my design.

One of the guys was hosting a friendly competitive analysis the next day with other assisted living organizations on the far north side. He invited me to join their group and so now I will get to meet with them quarterly to share information about our pricing, specials offered, care options available, and staffing needs.

Because we are all slightly different in what we offer, we are able to help each other and our residents meet everyone's needs through this collaboration. I feel so fortunate to be invited to participate in this group of professionals who are passionate about the care they provide and about being fair and honest with their friendly competition.

"I looked at my competitors and I thought that, If they could do it, I could do it. And if, they are popular and doing well, I could compete with them." ~ Tommy Hilfiger

I am still patiently awaiting the construction estimates. It seems like the calm before the storm as I have a feeling once these come in and I get the finalized documents out there, the project will really get going and I won't have time to think about much else but how to create the best memory care in America.

I have reached out a couple of times to the state licensing body for clarification on some building code nuances i.e. if I have private bathrooms, am I still required to provide a central bathing room? I believe it is important to get direction straight from the source before I start the build. They are busy people who will reply as soon as they have time I am sure.

I went out to the land and installed the PRIVATE PROPERTY sign and fence line between the posts. I am pleased with the way it turned out and can rest assured this tight security will keep out the riff-raff. Well, it will at least make them think twice before entering.

Curiously, the full Moon that occurs nearest to the autumnal equinox is always called the ”Harvest Moon" and this year that occurred on September 10. It is known as the Harvest Moon because it rises around sunset for several nights in a row, which traditionally provided farmers with just enough extra light for them to finish their harvests before the killing frosts of fall set in.

Listening to music and dancing are fun ways to decrease your risk of dementia and Stay Sharp ~ here is a video by Neil Young to get you started. Neil Young - Harvest Moon [Official Music Video]