This issue is a wide-ranging one, featuring stories about a performance artist whose work deals with technology and emotion, a residential healthcare community for those with memory loss, an innovative businesswoman who is reinventing the estate sale, a tranquil nature preserve named after an influential environmental leader, and a medical spa focused on prevention, regenerative medicine, and helping people feel and look better.
But what strikes me is how the people at the center of these stories have rethought and reimagined aspects of their respective fields.
In her story on CareOne’s Harmony Village at Stanwick Road, the writer Debra Wallace takes a closer look at a specialized memory care campus that takes a holistic approach to supporting residents with dementia. Even as memory declines, people can enjoy and connect to music, poetry, prayer, and fashion.
“We may have a resident who doesn’t have conversations with family members or staff, but we play a song from their past, and they start singing,” says dementia care specialist Rebecca Donohue.
Programming that includes fashion shows and poetry readings is part of the community’s approach to creating engagement for residents at different stages of memory loss.
For this issue, Wallace also profiles Noelle Brown Diamond and Stuart Diamond, the co-owners and co-founders of NDA Medical Spa, a wellness and aesthetics practice where personalized care is at the forefront of their work.
“A lot of our new patients tell me, ‘I just don’t look or feel like myself anymore. Where do I start?'” Noelle says. That conversation becomes the starting point for a personalized, systematic approach aimed at helping patients feel healthier and more energized. Genetic testing, for example, can indicate whether a client might benefit from avoiding dairy products. If someone is taking supplements, NDA can track improvement and identify what is actually effective.
Kathy Chang also introduces readers to Esther Yanai, a pioneering environmentalist and one of four women who founded Save the Environment of Moorestown (STEM) in 1972. She passionately advocated for the preservation of open spaces, and a local nature preserve is named in her honor. With its 34 acres of woodlands, wetlands, and vernal pools, the site stands as a fitting tribute to her legacy.
As always, thank you for reading!
Enjoy!
