As chairperson of the Springfield Dementia Friendly Coalition, I am often approached with these types of statements: “I think I have Alzheimer’s. My memory is not like it used to be.” My response is always, “Unless you have been assessed and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I would not say that!!!” I would say that we, as…

In October of this year, Elissa Carney, a Springfield native and Holyoke resident, joined my homebirth midwifery practice as student midwife and is now our apprentice.Elissa’s entry has reminded me of the value of the apprenticeship model. Prior to the dominance of educational institutions for training, apprenticeship was the route for most professions. With direct…