Volunteers of America provides care for a growing number of cognitively impaired adults and their families in a variety of community and facility- based settings across the country.  We recognize the need and opportunity for integrating the Validation method into the organizational culture and for becoming a leader in teaching the Validation method locally, regionally and nationally. This aligns with Volunteers of America’s ‘Aging with Options’ initiative, and ongoing development of Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) with home and community-based services.  We will be the primary server of the Minnesota, Ohio & Arizona regions. 

A strategic relationship has been created between Naomi Feil, the developer of the “Validation Method” for interacting/serving Alzheimer’s clients, and Volunteers of America National Services as of February 1, 2010.  Naomi Feil is a world class presenter and the developer of the model of care for seniors with dementia that is compassionate and truly representative of our organizational mission and goals. 

Volunteers of America has been working, at first casually, and then more intentionally with Naomi Feil’s organization over the past 5-6 years.   Through this collaboration over the years the opportunity for us to become an authorized validation organization has resulted.  This designation allows us to provide training and workshops presented by Naomi Feil and ultimately by other individuals who have been trained through the offices of the Validation Institute. 

We are excited to be one of only a few organizations in the United States that have this designation and look forward to this becoming a cornerstone program for us in the future in the care and services of those in our memory care units as well as those suffering from dementia in the communities at large.