Ted Tzirimis, CEO of Intrex, has been named a 2025 Reminiscence Care Innovation Award winner by Senior Housing Information.
The Reminiscence Care Innovation Awards program is designed to acknowledge passionate and progressive business members who’re shaping the way forward for cognitive care throughout behavioral well being, dwelling well being and residential care, hospice and palliative care, senior housing and senior residing, and expert nursing. To turn out to be a Reminiscence Care Innovation Award winner, a person have to be nominated by their friends. The candidate ought to be a high-performing worker who is aware of the best way to put imaginative and prescient into motion, serving as an advocate for these residing with memory-related problems and the dedicated professionals who guarantee their well-being.
Tzirimis sat down with Senior Housing Information to share his journey caring for sufferers and residents with cognitive care wants, his ideas on the way forward for cognitive care in senior housing & senior residing, and rather more. To be taught extra concerning the Reminiscence Care Innovation Awards program and think about this yr’s winners, go to https://innovation.memorycarebusiness.com/.
SHN: How lengthy have you ever been part of the reminiscence care, senior housing & senior residing business?
Tzirimis: I grew up within the senior residing business. My dad and mom ran a Medicare-certified Residence Well being, Hospice, and private care companies firm since I used to be born, so I grew up in that enterprise.
I didn’t formally work within the business as an grownup till 2006, once I joined an organization offering direct care to seniors of their dwelling first as a Company Initiatives Supervisor, then rising into Regional Supervisor, and, finally, Chief Innovation Officer. Throughout that journey I spent a number of time with caregivers and sufferers understanding the challenges. Our company had a specialised behavioral well being program with a lot of nice targets and interventions for folk with dementia/Alzheimer’s, despair, and different circumstances.
SHN: What drew you to caring for sufferers/residents with cognitive care wants?
Tzirimis: Rising up within the business helped for positive. I additionally noticed my grandparents undergo dwelling well being and hospice.
An enormous a part of caring for seniors includes serving to these with cognitive care wants. And, like many, having members of the family with dementia and seeing that firsthand supplies a special stage of understanding and compassion not just for the person affected, however their household/assist system of caregivers.
SHN: If you happen to might change one factor about cognitive care within the reminiscence care, senior housing & senior residing business, what wouldn’t it be?
Tzirimis: Extra dignity preserving know-how for security and assist.
SHN: If you happen to had a crystal ball, what do you suppose will most affect your capacity to supply cognitive care within the reminiscence care, senior housing & senior residing business within the subsequent 5 years?
Tzirimis: As a know-how supplier, I’d say regulation. As rules change, we can apply extra (or much less) technology-oriented options.
SHN: If you happen to might describe cognitive care within the reminiscence care, senior housing & senior residing business in a single phrase, what wouldn’t it be and why?
Tzirimis: Intense.
There may be only a stage of seriousness that comes with caring for essentially the most susceptible. From hiring and coaching to having nice and protected areas, every thing is extra urgent and demanding – from retaining the residents engaged, stopping wandering into different resident rooms, and defending towards falls to stopping elopements.
SHN: What’s been the largest lesson you could have discovered all through your profession?
Tzirimis: These offering care are simply unbelievable folks. To do what they do for the pay that they get, you recognize, it’s a particular group of individuals.
SHN: If you happen to might give your self recommendation on the primary day within the reminiscence care, senior housing & senior residing business, what wouldn’t it be and why?
Tzirimis: Stroll within the sneakers of everybody there to actually perceive the dynamics at play. It’s actually eye-opening and it results in higher discussions, concepts, and, finally, improved outcomes.
SHN: In your opinion, what qualities ought to all Reminiscence Care Innovation Award winners possess?
Tzirimis: Compassion for the people, curiosity for methods to enhance care, and camaraderie for the opposite caregivers to behave as a assist when others are burdened or overwhelmed.
