FEATURED
Normal vs. Not Normal Aging: Understanding the Difference
Positive Approach to Care® (PAC) Designated Organization is a nationally-recognized dementia care training program. We use their award-winning care strategies and care techniques to provide dementia education to staff, volunteers, resident families, and the public. In 2019, Hale Kū‘ike had the distinction of becoming the nation's first PAC Designated Organization.
Hear from our very own PAC Certified Trainer, Dorothy Colby. These workshops can provide essential information on how to have a positive and meaningful relationship with loved ones living with dementia throughout their journey.
Dorothy Colby
Director of Community Engagement
Joined Hale Kū‘ike in 2005
Dorothy was born in Hawai‘i and raised in Hau‘ula on the island of O‘ahu. She attended Bryn Mawr College where she completed her Master’s degree. Dorothy has a very personal connection to dementia care: her grandmother, with whom she grew up, had Alzheimer's disease, her father had stroke-related dementia, and her father-in-law had Parkinson’s-related dementia.
Dorothy is a Positive Approach to Care® Trainer, Coach, Consultant, Engagement Leader, and National PAC Mentor. She is a dementia care specialist with more than 20 years of professional and personal experience in caring for people with dementia. She has worked at Hale Kū‘ike since 2005, helping residents and their families navigate through the course of the disease.
Dorothy’s mission is to help families understand what is happening to the brain of their loved ones who have dementia. Through her work at Hale Kū‘ike and her public education classes, Dorothy helps those who work with and care for people with dementia understand the process of brain failure. Dorothy’s philosophy is that by understanding that the brain is dying, we can empathize, adjust our approach and expectations, and connect and communicate with those who have dementia.
