Liz Plozner-Chalfa, Juniper Village

Tonight we had the opportunity to hear from Liz Plozner-Chalfa, Executive Director at Juniper Village at Senior Living. She started by talking about her passion for learning and helping patients with dementia. 80% of her team is credentialed as a certified dementia practitioner, meaning they have the ability to treat dementia patients and their families. As a Penn State student, we have the opportunity to take the course to become certified in treating dementia patients. The steps to complete this credential is, complete an 8-hour course, fill out an application, get it notarized, send the application in, and wait to hear back from the organization. Ms. Plozner-Chalfa is offering this course specifically to us at a large discount and much easier access. All interns at Juniper are sent through this course. This is a credential that we can put on a resume or at the end of our name. The staff members at Juniper are more than willing to help out and share their experiences and interactions with patients, friends, and family members who have been diagnosed with dementia. Once credentialed, they last for two years and there is a $125 renewal fee. This is a great opportunity and Ms. Plozner-Chalfa spoke very fondly of her experience treating patients and training providers over the past few years.

We will send out her contact information with the recap email.