This programme is designed to teach empathic communication skills in people who care for those with dementia.
Not usually associated with ‘care’ is the idea of one person caring for another by entering into the meaning of the other’s life. The ‘I Am A Bridge’ programme teaches attentiveness skills fundamental to caring for those with dementia. In a small group we will learn how to connect to people with dementia. Becoming a ‘bridge’ to a person with dementia means ‘being with’ them and not simply assisting or doing things for them.
“The ‘I Am A Bridge’ training has opened my eyes and soul to what it feels like to be a part of our human race”
Sandra Deromedi, ‘I Am A Bridge’ participant
The ‘I Am A Bridge’ Training Programme is for anyone interested in learning how to better connect to someone with dementia. This programme is being offered to individuals from organisations that are interested in teaching these skills to others in order to change society’s approach to dementia.
About Michael Verde
Michael Verde founded Memory Bridge in 2003. Memory Bridge is an internationally recognized non-profit that works to end the emotional isolation of people with dementia and their carers.To date, Memory Bridge’s multiple award winning programs have connected over 8,500 people with and without dementia to each other in one-to-one relationships.
Michael produced the acclaimed PBS documentary ‘There Is a Bridge’ in 2008. His new documentary: ‘Love Is Listening: Dementia Without Loneliness’ premiered at the Royal Society of Medicine in December 2018, and is now available on Amazon Prime and iTunes.
Michael graduated with honors from the University of Texas’s prestigious Plan II Honors program. He earned a M.A. in literary studies from the University of Iowa, and a M.A. in theology from the University of Durham, England, where he graduated at the top of his international class. He is currently earning a PhD at Indiana University in the area of empathetic communication and pedagogy.
Michael speaks around the world on the subjects of literature, world religions, and communicating with people with dementia.
If you have any questions about this or any of our other courses, please contact the Education team who will be happy to help
At St Christopher's, a registered charity, it is important for us to maximise any surpluses to reinvest in the objectives of the charity.
Unfortunately, the manner in which we undertake our training currently means we are not able to invest as much of our surplus as possible, therefore from the 1 December 2017, St Christopher’s Education Centre will charge VAT at the standard rate on our training courses, the reason for this change in pricing is twofold:
i) We want to be able to reinvest any surpluses made from training back into all of our charitable objectives rather than only Education
ii) We want to be able to reclaim the VAT on costs relating to developing and running the training courses
