I always appreciate a few days away from the office, but phew, the last few weeks were a whirlwind! I was fortunate enough to spend a week away with my husband, Kyle, and two kids – Kendall and Kyler. We visited St. John USVI – and wow, what a beautiful place. If you haven’t marked this off your bucket list yet, I encourage you to visit soon! The beaches are pristine and at times, it felt like we were on a deserted island. I was determined to see a sea turtle and it turns out we were fortunate enough to see them daily! 

But nothing can end an amazing trip like a flight cancellation on the way home. We were exhausted and it was late at night when our flight was cancelled in Miami. Thankfully we were able to book the first flight out the next morning, but I was scheduled to leave that day for a training. We got home and I had two hours to turn it around before leaving for Connecticut. I never knew how quickly I could do laundry and get re-packed until now! 

So why did I head to Connecticut? Well, Jenna and I are excited to announce that we are officially Certified Virtual Dementia Tour trainers (VDT) through Second Wind Dreams. We spent two (long) days training and are excited to now be able to offer this experience to our staff, professionals in the community, families of those we serve, and all of you! 

The Second Wind VDT experience was designed to allow professionals and family members to “walk in the shoes of a person with Dementia”. This is a one-of-a-kind immersive experience allows us to have a greater understand of what it may be like living as a person with Dementia, and provides tools and tips so we can create an environment to support a person with a cognitive impairment. 

This is a fantastic opportunity as we strive to provide the best possible services to those affected by Dementia – at our office and in our community.  We found this training so valuable that all staff at our office locations will be going through the VDT experience over the next few weeks. Whether it is the team member that answers the phone, greets clients as they walk in, or the team member working directly with the family, it is important that the entire Firm is able to treat a person with Dementia and their family with dignity and respect. 

We proudly offered the Virtual Dementia Tour to all attendees at our Tempe conference for FREE back in November 2023! This was an exciting initiative to bring value to attendees and provide certification on the spot to people who truly care about this mission and want to be a part of future solutions.

As for me – I took a few days off after these trips to recover and get caught up on life. Next up – Tempe in November (and hopefully no flight cancellations)! See you there! 

Written by Kristin Daugherty, a Coach with Million Dollar Solution