Education & Training — Testimonials
“I truly enjoyed the three-day seminar and am enlightened on so many aspects of person-centered care. My staff and I look forward to applying the new principles.”
Jurgen Arndt, President/CEO of Niagara Lutheran Health System
“We are fortunate to have had someone of your professional expertise and credentials volunteer time from your busy schedule to address the volunteers and serve as a resource person.”
Melanie Keem, MSW, Ombudsman Program Specialist for the American Red Cross
“It was my pleasure to attend this workshop. It made me look deeper into myself and realize how I could make a change at my facility.”
“You encouraged me to keep going, not to give up. The people we serve and care for deserve it. It’s just too important.”
“This has been the single most powerful workshop I have ever attending in my professional career. You kept us entertained while delivering such a powerful message, I was never bored and was able to relate to so many of the medicalized institutional practices you spoke of. This has changed my way of caring forever going forward. Thank you so much!”
“Thanks for helping me to get in touch with my human side again. You have reminded me to treat everyone with the same respect I would give to an elder. I will always remember the lessons I have learned from you, and most of all practice them every day, hoping to change at least one person the way you have helped to change me."
“I work in acute care and see the detrimental effects of loneliness, helplessness and boredom. The climate can only change if the message is delivered to the caregivers and so many are set in their way of dealing with patients that change can be difficult.
It was valuable to see the different theories of nursing and how I can apply them to my own practice.
Rhonda did a great job presenting. She kept the attention of the class and provided a different look on patient care. Ms. Palmiero offered a new perspective about nursing. The insight that she offered made me think about nursing in a different way and has added to my philosophy of nursing.
Staff over-all feel that if a resident is clean, dry and fed that they did a good job. This session argues it is only part of the person. The second part is how boredom affects sleep which increases behaviors or depression or appetite and how quickly healthcare professionals are to medicate residents problems away.
Due to Ms. Palmiero’s longevity in elder care and her extensive experience in many roles within that arena, she is very capable of delivering a solid message as well as a keen sense of dismantling barriers of why it cannot be done. Kudos to Oishei and the Alliance for securing such an individual to deliver this message. It would likely not be as well received without the experience to back it. She has excellent speaking skills and holds the attention of the group no matter how diverse.”
Mr. Paul Hogan
The John R. Oishei Foundation
One HSBC Center, Suite 3650
Buffalo, New York 14203
December 8, 2011
Dear Mr. Hogan:
Last Friday I had invited a local nurse, Ms. Rhonda (Goodberry) Palmiero, who is a nursing graduate of Niagara University, to be a speaker in my introductory nursing class. She spoke about patient centered care, which is so concordant with the approach we seek to develop in our students. The content of her presentation and the style of her delivery were so outstanding I inquired how I might acknowledge that in some way to her administrators. I was really pleased to learn that the “Person Centered Care” initiative for WNY’s elderly was supported by a grant from Oishei Foundation. It is a most important project and is the kind of grass roots endeavor that can really make a difference in improving health care delivery in our region and beyond.
Ms. Palmiero was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic, my students just embraced her every word. She is a great advocate for the Person Centered Care program and for nursing in general. We will be very pleased to have her return and meet with our students on a regular basis as she has so much to offer. As a nursing professional and as a community member I am really happy to know that Ms. Palmiero is so willing to extend her knowledge and engage us in sharing her ideas. An approach such as this is taking health care in a much more positive direction than other challenges in recent years. Thank you for supporting this endeavor.
Sincerely, Dr. Frances E. Crosby
Chairperson
Dear Rhonda:
Thank you very much for giving a presentation on PCC to our public health students last week. I think your presentation nicely made a compelling case for the need for such transformation in the care system, particularly in long term care. Your opening comments in which you shared the thoughts and experiences of a “typical patient” set the stage perfectly for the rest of your remarks. I also liked the way you addressed the competencies we are trying to develop in these students as part of their educational preparation.
I was at Niagara University yesterday for a meeting with Dr. Fran Crosby and Dean Dr. Nancy McGlen. Your name came up in the conversation as a highly regarded alumna (deservedly so!). We are hoping to develop an articulation agreement with them between our Masters of Public Health and Health Professions program and their nursing and other relevant programs.
Again, many thanks.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael Noe,
University at Buffalo, Associate Dean for the School of Public Health and Health Professions