Second Wind Dreams
The WellSky Foundation has gifted $50,000 to Second Wind Dreams®, a nonprofit organization recognized worldwide for its Virtual Dementia Tour® (VDT®) sensitivity training program. Founded in 1997, the Atlanta-based organization is recognized as the first in the nation to focus on enhancing the quality of life for elders through the fulfillment of dreams.
Second Wind Dreams will use the funding to provide educational scholarships and training to caregivers in underserved eldercare communities. These communities will have the opportunity to experience the VDT and the Dementia Aware Competency Evaluation (DACE®). VDT is an evidence-based program that allows caregivers to step directly into the viewpoint of their patients by temporarily altering their physical and sensory abilities, and mimics changes associated with cognitive deterioration.
“It is our mission at Second Wind Dreams to change the perception of aging through our Dreams Program and our experiential dementia training,” said Gwenyth Johnson, CEO of Second Wind Dreams.
Programs like VDT and DACE also contribute to Second Wind Dreams’ mission of providing educational tools to further develop caregivers’ skillsets and create career advancement opportunities. With a growing staffing shortage, having caregivers who are trained and supported is critical to ensuring long-term support of elder care communities.
“The WellSky Foundation has provided a generous opportunity to take this mission and these programs to the medically, geographically, and socioeconomically underserved elder care communities. This partnership will allow us to support the delivery of empathic person-centered care and participate in building age friendly communities.”
— Gwenyth Johnson, CEO of Second Wind Dreams