Joshua Freitas of LCB Senior Living has been named 2016 Educator of the Year by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. He holds certificates as a certified dementia practitioner and an Alzheimer’s disease dementia care trainer through the organization.

Lynn Biot Gordon, NCCDP’s chief operations officer, and Sandra Stimson, chief executive officer, presented the award to Freitas in person at LCB headquarters in Norwood, MA. LCB Senior Living programming is designed in collaboration with Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and has been introduced in 21 communities for residents who have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia.

The NCCDP said Freitas was nominated by his peers, who provided examples of the ways in which he motivates his staff through education, his passion for teaching and his delivery of the NCCDP Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care curricula to healthcare professionals and front-line staff members. The organization received several hundred nominations for the award for educators around the country working in assisted living communities, nursing homes, adult day service providers, hospitals, home care agencies, hospice agencies, government agencies, associations and learning institutions.

The organization bestowed its Distinguished Educator of the Year Award on the following educators:

  • Joni Barrie-Hoffman, Exceptional Living Centers
  • Dawn Beninghove, Companion Extraordinaire Nursing Network
  • Karen Elechko, Coatesville VA Medical Center
  • Linda Hassler, New Jersey Action Coalition Nurse Residency in LTC Program
  • Jennifer Krupa, Lorain Community College
  • Aysha Kulor, National Council of Post Acute Care Practitioners
  • Wendy LaBelle, Iron County Medical Care Facility
  • Angela Norman, DPN, Arkansas Aging Initiative
  • Kelly Ording, Watermark Communities
  • Pam Polowski, Infinity Home Care
  • Maureen Powers, CareOne Health Care
  • Cameo Rogers, Vetters Senior Living
  • Kathleen Schneider, The Bristal Assisted Living
  • Sarah Stanisz, Arbor Springs of West Des Moines
  • Charles Whitlock, Pennswood Village
  • Nancy Van Wyk, Hearthstone a ministry of Wesley Life

Pictured, from left: LCB Senior Living President Stephen Puliafico; LCB Senior Living CEO Michael Stoller; Joshua Freitas; NCCDP CEO Sandra Stimson; NCCDP COO Lynn Biot Gordon.