“I thought, You can sit and complain about something not being right, or you can do something about it.” — Judy Berry Alzheimer’s Reading Room I suggest you take the time to read this carefully. When you get the feeling that nobody cares, no one understands, you can think of Judy Berry. Judy didn’t go to med school. She wasn’t trained in geriatric care. More or less, she started just like you and me. One thing that does makes Judy different is she decided to change the way things — Are. She would not accept the way things — Were. Unlike others, Judy does have one unique ability — she somehow understands how people suffering from dementia think and feel. I never asked her but my guess is that Judy sees something very different when she sees and talks to a person suffering from dementia. She sees another human being. After dealing with a nightmare while trying to find care for her mother who had dementia, Judy Berry founded a model of care that provides an environment where residents maintain their dignity, choice and the best possible quality of life. A recent study found that Berry’s approach reduces the hospitalization of these individuals by 93 percent. For her tireless efforts and courage to create this new model of care for those suffering from dementia – and for never turning someone away for the inability to pay – Berry has been named one of 10 recipients of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leaders Award. The award honors exceptional men and women who have overcome significant obstacles to tackle some of the most challenging health and health care problems facing their communities. Minnesota Resident Honored for Creating a New Model of Care for Dementia Sufferers Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Recognizes Judy Berry With a 2010 Community Health Leaders Award Judy Berry was starting the day at her new job when she got a phone call that changed her life. Her mother, Evelyn, had been hospitalized after accidentally overdosing on her medications. Berry was told her mother could no longer live alone. Berry, who was recently divorced with very little money, knew that meant she would have to break a lifelong promise to her mother. She had to put Evelyn in a nursing home.

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