The Institute for Excellence in Memory Care transforms memory care by defining standards of excellence, cultivating memory care professionals, and introducing sustainable certification criteria for the dementia care community - Dementia Care with Heart™.

Globally Recognized

Expert Educators
Patty Piechocki, CTRS, QMCP
programming and continuing education managerPatty Piechocki comes to the Institute for Excellence in Memory Care with over 30 years of experience in the geriatric field. She is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Therapist and is a Qualified Memory Care Professional through the IEMC. Patty has worked in a variety of roles in memory support units, skilled nursing, assisted living, independent and day programs, as well as in physical rehabilitation units. Her passion focuses on Alzheimer’s and Dementia care where her background in therapeutic programming has allowed her to design, implement, and educate professionals in best practices in memory care.
Contact Patty Piechocki at patty@alzni.org or call 574-232-4121.
Professional Training and Consultation for Memory Care Providers
- We will provide the knowledge for professional learners to establish and maintain a true person-centered care model for their settings.
- We will impart knowledge to help professional learners create care environments with positive outcomes and eliminate excess disability for their populations.
- We will provide an appreciation for what is possible for those with dementia and help professional learners reframe their thinking to a strength-based focus.
- We will teach professional learners to understand that life is an activity of being and doing and in this being and doing comes the quality of life we all seek.
- We will educate professional learners how to assist those they serve to live peacefully and successfully with their dementia disease process.
- We will help you and your staff successfully navigate the ever-changing regulatory climate.
Give your organization the edge
Learn and Grow
Programs and Services
Professional Consultation
Consultation services provide guidance and support for your organization's memory support program. For example, our consultant can make regular visits to monitor the therapeutic level of care and how well your organization is meeting the needs of this special population. The consultant can provide a specific and focused assessment for problem solving, and education for any action plan implemented with your team of professionals. The expertise and knowledge of Institute professionals is ready to support your endeavors for excellence.
Mentoring Program for Professionals
Designed for professional directors of memory care programs, mentoring provides an ongoing quality guidance program for each individual. This includes job shadowing by the mentor to assess areas where support and direction can improve performance and outcomes. In addition, an overall assessment of the memory care program's strengths and weaknesses is provided.
Basic Six-Hour Dementia Training
This class meets the basic requirements by the Indiana State Department of Health for dementia training for all direct care staff. This program will provide your staff with the basic knowledge to identify your population's special needs and to begin implementing a more effective, person-directed approach to their care.
End-of-Life Dementia Care Professional Certificate (EDCP)
This entry-level, 5-session training seminar is designed for direct care staff who wish to advance their knowledge of end-of-life care with Dementia. Upon completion of this 5-hour course, each participant will earn the End-of-Life Dementia Care Professional (EDCP) certificate.
Dementia Care with HEART™: Community & Homebound Services Dementia Training Kit
Pre-Recorded Webinars: Education at Your Convenience
Pre-Recorded Webinars Available
- Introduction to Expressive Arts in Memory Care
- Program Ideas for the Fellas
- Montessori Programming in Dementia Care
- Dining with Dementia
- Re-Inspire the Fire
- Dementia Care and Medications
- Lewy Body Dementia: 101
- Frontotemporal Disorders: 101
- Dealing with Family Caregiver Denial
- Helping Families with Challenging Roles
- Understanding Apathy
- Respond -vs- React: Staying Cool When Behavioral Expressions Happen
- Home or Institution? Making a Person Centered Home
- Getting to Know Me Through Activities
- Person Directed Care Plans
- Huntington's Disease: 101
- Comorbidities and Dementia
- I Swear! It's REAL! Confabulation, Hallucinations, and Delusions
- Helping Families Cope with the "New Normal"