During the winter of 2009, PersonFirstTM trainers started conducting Community Circles. Starting with a song eased some initial hesitation, but conversation ebbed and flowed depending on topic and speaker.
That is, until the facilitator asked the group about their children. The question was somewhat daunting because the Community Circle took place in Rainbow Terrace, where resident participants have significant memory loss.
Eventually, the question came to “Jim” who, up to that point, had been silent and seemingly unengaged in the conversation. He paused, and said, “I have no children.” People in the group were about to move on, believing Jim lost memory of his family. Then—in retrospect what was a deliberate pause and close to impeccable comedic timing—Jim said, “My wife had the children.” He went on to talk, although haltingly, about his family.
We learned something about “Jim” as a person: how he had a sense of humor that remained intact even as the specifics of his life faded.
That’s the power of PersonFirstTM.
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Community Circles
