Presented on 14 February 2006 to
Blanche Agostinelli, APRN, BC, MSN
Patients living with Alzheimer's disease need people to remember for them. They need people to remember their medications, allergies, appointments and insurance forms. They also need people to remember how devastating the loss of memory is and how terrifying the imaginings that fill that void can be. Alzheimer's patients need someone to remember to keep listening, even when they repeat themselves. Alzheimer's patients also need their families, sometimes intensely, even as they slip farther and farther away from them. In the face of a devastating loss, families must make difficult decisions about care. They must become experts in juggling many obligations. They must also remember - sometimes with assistance - that obligations should be separated by occasional periods of joy and rest.
Families living with Alzheimer's disease are fortunate to have an advocate with an excellent memory and considerable wisdom, knowledge and heart. As a case manager at Yale-New Haven Hospital's Geriatric Assessment Center, she directly collaborates with patients and families to devise treatment plans that promote quality of life. She has created and led support groups for family members and currently leads a group dealing with the challenges of early onset. She generously shares her invaluable clinical experience with others to raise the standard of care. She is a frequent presenter in many settings and a leader in the Alzheimer's Association of South Central Connecticut. She has already been honored by membership in the organization's Hall of Fame. Her four decades in nursing have been marked by an extraordinary responsiveness to patient need and a drive to reshape systems to meet that need. For her unselfish devotion to her patients and her profession, The Yale School of Nursing presents its Excellence in Caring in Chronic Illness Award to Blanche Agostinelli.
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Center for Excellence in Chronic Illness Care
YSN Centers
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