Nicole Graham, Government Director at Lumina Las Vegas, 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 modern business members who’re shaping the way forward for cognitive care throughout behavioral well being, house well being and residential care, hospice and palliative care, senior housing and senior dwelling, and expert nursing. To develop into a Reminiscence Care Innovation Award winner, a person have to be nominated by their friends. The candidate must be a high-performing worker who is aware of how one can put imaginative and prescient into motion, serving as an advocate for these dwelling with memory-related issues and the dedicated professionals who guarantee their well-being.
Graham sat down with Senior Housing Information to share her journey caring for sufferers and residents with cognitive care wants, her ideas on the way forward for cognitive care in senior housing & senior dwelling, and rather more. To be taught extra in regards to the Reminiscence Care Innovation Awards program and consider this 12 months’s winners, go to https://innovation.memorycarebusiness.com/.
SHN: How lengthy have you ever been part of the reminiscence care, senior housing & senior dwelling business?
Graham: I’ve been in senior dwelling for the previous 14 years, with expertise spanning Expert Nursing Services, Assisted Dwelling, and standalone Reminiscence Care communities. Every setting has formed my understanding of the distinctive wants of older adults, particularly these dwelling with dementia.
Earlier than that, I additionally spent 5 years working as a CNA, considering I used to be headed into nursing. That hands-on expertise as a CNA gave me a foundational understanding of care, compassion, and the day-to-day realities of supporting older adults. I wasn’t a part of a crew again then — I used to be typically simply attempting to determine issues out by myself, asking for assist once I wanted it and studying as I went. It taught me the significance of displaying up, even when the work is tough, and it sparked my ardour for person-centered care. That have in the end led me to pursue management in senior dwelling, particularly reminiscence care, the place I might assist construct the type of supportive, collaborative groups I want I had again then.
SHN: What drew you to caring for sufferers/residents with cognitive care wants?
Graham: I needed to be a part of one thing extra — one thing deeply significant — for these dwelling with cognitive care wants.
Early in my profession, I noticed how typically people with dementia had been misunderstood or underserved, and I felt a robust pull to vary that narrative. Cognitive care requires a singular mix of empathy, creativity, and consistency. It challenges us to fulfill folks the place they’re, honor their tales, and create environments that foster dignity and connection. That problem — and the chance to make an actual influence — has saved me dedicated to this work for over 14 years.
SHN: When you might change one factor about cognitive care within the reminiscence care, senior housing & senior dwelling business, what wouldn’t it be?
Graham: Too typically, cognitive care is handled as a separate piece of the puzzle, fairly than a part of a holistic method. Suppliers, households, and healthcare companions typically work in isolation, which might result in fragmented care and missed alternatives for connection. I imagine we have to transfer towards a extra unified, collaborative mannequin — one which breaks down obstacles, shares data meaningfully, and retains the individual dwelling with dementia on the coronary heart of each choice.
After we align our efforts, we don’t simply enhance outcomes — we restore dignity, function, and high quality of life. It’s time to shift from reactive care to proactive care and that begins with altering how we discuss cognitive care, how we construction it, and the way we present up for these we serve — collectively.
SHN: When you had a crystal ball, what do you suppose will most influence your means to offer cognitive care within the reminiscence care, senior housing & senior dwelling business within the subsequent 5 years?
Graham: If I had a crystal ball, I imagine essentially the most transformative drive in cognitive care over the subsequent 5 years can be our means to interrupt down silos and construct true collaboration throughout the senior dwelling continuum. The way forward for reminiscence care relies on how properly we combine information, align care groups, and create programs which might be proactive, person-centered, and deeply coordinated. I’m proud to say I’m already a part of that shift.
At Lumina, we’ve launched the Lumina Method, a groundbreaking alliance of 5 organizations — Senior Doc, ALiS, EmpowerMe Wellness, Inspiren, and Lumina — who share a typical objective: to dismantle fragmented care fashions and enhance outcomes by means of higher coordination in senior dwelling. This built-in mannequin is designed to create synergy throughout a number of dimensions of resident well being, together with:
- Remedy and cognitive assist
- Major care coordination and oversight
- Sleep optimization methods
- Focused dietary interventions
- Meals sensitivity and allergy testing to handle potential irritation triggers
By aligning efforts throughout these areas, we’ve already seen measurable enhancements, together with a discount in falls and decreased hospitalizations — each crucial indicators of high quality care in reminiscence assist environments.
This sort of collaboration is unprecedented in our business, and it’s reshaping how we method dementia care. We’re not simply reacting to signs — we’re proactively designing environments and care plans that assist the entire individual: medically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.
The Lumina Method is our blueprint for the long run, and I’m honored to assist lead this motion towards a extra linked, compassionate, and impactful mannequin of cognitive care.
SHN: When you might describe cognitive care within the reminiscence care, senior housing & senior dwelling business in a single phrase, what wouldn’t it be and why?
Graham: Dignity.
To me, dignity means seeing the entire individual — not simply their analysis. It’s about honoring their tales, their preferences, their autonomy, and their humanity, at the same time as their cognitive skills change. It’s the quiet respect in how we converse to somebody, the persistence we present in moments of confusion, and the care we absorb creating environments that really feel protected and acquainted.
Dignity is the muse of compassionate care. It guides how we prepare our workers, how we design dementia-friendly eating experiences, and the way we advocate for age-friendly hospital measures. It’s not only a philosophy — it’s a each day observe. And after we middle dignity in the whole lot we do, we create areas the place folks dwelling with dementia can nonetheless expertise pleasure, connection, and function. Cognitive care isn’t simply scientific; it’s deeply human. And after we lead with dignity, we remind ourselves and others that each individual deserves to be seen, heard, and valued — regardless of the place they’re of their journey.
SHN: What’s been the largest lesson you have got discovered all through your profession?
Graham: In senior dwelling and reminiscence care, no two days are ever the identical. One second you’re navigating a regulatory change, the subsequent you’re comforting a household throughout a troublesome transition, and later you’re troubleshooting a staffing hole that would influence resident care. It’s a subject that calls for flexibility, coronary heart, and a deep dedication to the folks we serve.
Perseverance, I’ve discovered, is the key superpower all of us want to seek out inside ourselves. It’s what retains us grounded when issues really feel unsure. It’s what helps us present up totally, even when the trail is tough. And it’s what drives us to maintain pushing for innovation, dignity, and higher outcomes — not only for our residents, however for our groups and households too. That mindset has formed who I’m as a pacesetter and a mentor. It’s not about having all of the solutions — it’s about staying dedicated, staying curious, and by no means dropping sight of why we do that work within the first place.
SHN: When you might give your self recommendation on the primary day within the reminiscence care, senior housing & senior dwelling business, what wouldn’t it be and why?
Graham: If I might give myself recommendation on my first day on this business, I’d say, “Lean into perseverance, and by no means lose sight of your function.”
This subject will check your resilience — emotionally, professionally, and personally. However each problem is a chance to develop, to innovate, and to advocate for many who want us most.
Keep in mind that each resident has a narrative value honoring, and each household deserves compassion. The work is tough, nevertheless it’s additionally deeply significant. Keep curious, keep dedicated, and encompass your self with individuals who share your ardour for dignified, person-centered care.
SHN: In your opinion, what qualities ought to all Reminiscence Care Innovation Award winners possess?
Graham: In my view, Reminiscence Care Innovation Award winners ought to embody three key qualities: perseverance, empathy, and imaginative and prescient.
- Perseverance as a result of this work isn’t straightforward. It calls for resilience within the face of regulatory challenges, emotional moments with households, and the fixed push to enhance programs that serve our most weak populations.
- Empathy as a result of reminiscence care is deeply human. It’s about understanding the lived experiences of these with cognitive decline and creating environments the place they really feel protected, valued, and linked.
- Imaginative and prescient as a result of innovation requires us to look past what’s and picture what might be — whether or not that’s rethinking eating experiences for dementia-friendly mealtimes or advocating for age-friendly hospital measures that actually meet the wants of older adults.
Award winners aren’t simply doing good work — they’re main with coronary heart, difficult the established order, and provoking others to lift the bar in senior dwelling.
