Marica Bryant
September 2021
Marcia
Bryant
,
MSN, RN, NE-BC
Clinical Operations
The Outer Banks Hospital
Nags Head
,
NC
United States
Marcia Bryant's initial vision of creating a safe environment for patients with dementia has stretched outside of the walls of The Outer Banks Hospital.
Marcia Bryant earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing from UNC Greensboro and her master's in nursing from East Carolina University. She was appointed chief nursing officer in 2015, and brought nearly 30 years of nursing experience to the role.
Leadership posts included director of cardiac services for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and administrative supervisor for Emory University Orthopedics and Spine Hospital. She has also held nursing leadership roles in North Carolina, at Mission-St. Joseph Health System in Asheville, and at what is now Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. Marcia serves on the Outer Banks Dementia Task Force and led TOBH to be the first dementia-friendly hospital in the state. Under Marcia's leadership and vision, The Outer Banks Hospital announced its designation as the first Dementia-Friendly Hospital in the state of North Carolina on Wednesday, April 26, 2018.
"Dementia-friendly means recognizing that people with cognitive impairments have special needs and that those who care and provide services for these individuals are trained in best practices," said Marcia. "We made the decision to lead the way for other Dare County organizations and businesses as well hospitals across the state. "According to Hospital-Based Care for People with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia, between 2008 and 2010, dementia was the third-leading mental health reason for visits to the emergency room for North Carolina adults over 65. People with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia are also hospitalized two to three times more frequently than are non-cognitively impaired peers. As the population ages, these numbers are expected to rise. A dementia-friendly hospital provides an environment where patients with dementia are valued and respected, where the changes in the person are noticed, and where they and their caregivers are understood and accepted. Based on the special needs of people with dementia in the healthcare setting, The Outer Banks Hospital become a "dementia-friendly hospital."
A dementia-friendly hospital is one with a staff that cares about the community they serve, listens to the feelings of the families dealing with dementia, recognizes the signs of dementia, understands its special care needs, and takes action. A dementia-friendly hospital provides an environment where patients with dementia will be valued and respected and where the changes in the person will be noticed, understood, and accepted. A dementia-friendly hospital takes the point of view of a person with dementia, and then it does everything it can to create an environment where those patients can participate as independently and safely as possible.
As part of the Healthy Carolinians of the Outer Banks Dementia Task Force, Marcia fostered the relationship with The Outer Banks Hospital and helped to develop a joint community and hospital team to guide the hospital in decisions to support innovative changes to create a dementia-friendly designation. One of the team's first tasks was to look inward at training and competency among the staff who work directly with patients and families. The Outer Banks Hospital's dementia-friendly program now trains clinical and nonclinical staff about dementia and its impact on the patient, family, and caregivers.
The hospital's program has specific goals to improve the delivery of care, with a focus on five areas: improving recognition of dementia on admission, being able to identify special needs and risks, emphasizing the use of non-pharmacological interventions for managing the expression of the disease, involving the family in discharge planning, and providing dementia information and education to patients and caregivers.
"Every person has an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. As we are a hospital, it is our goal to make that difference by increasing our sensitivity and awareness of the difficulties persons with dementia, their families, and caregivers will experience,'' shared Marcia. "We are happy to go first and to lead the way for other community organizations and businesses. We look forward to sharing what we have learned with others and broadening this effort beyond healthcare and into other places where people with dementia and their caregivers go."
Since TOBH's recognition in April of 2018, Marcia has also supported additional healthcare systems both nationally and internationally. Marcia discusses TOBH's dementia-friendly process with UNC during their Dementia-Friendly Hospital Initiative. A proclamation was signed by the Governor in 2019 to make November "Dementia Awareness Month" in North Carolina on the heels of his visit to Dare Co to hear about the work being done by Marcia and others. Building on this work, and with Marcia's support, the task force has made it a goal to increase community awareness and understanding of dementia and actually created one of the first dementia-friendly communities in North Carolina. That required looking at its shops, restaurants, markets, and streets through the eyes of a person with dementia, then doing everything possible to make it a place where those with dementia can continue to live as independently as possible.
Developed by the Dementia Task Force, The Purple Seahorse has become the identifier for dementia-friendly organizations and businesses. When the symbol is displayed, it indicates that the business or organization has undergone training to learn how to identify someone with dementia so that they can make the experience in their environment one that is sensitive to the needs of that person and the caregiver{s).
Taskforce members train restaurant staff on site. Currently, there are multiple restaurants and businesses on the Outer Banks that are designated dementia-friendly. Marcia Bryant's initial vision of creating a safe environment for patients with dementia has stretched outside of the walls of The Outer Banks Hospital. Through her leadership and gentle approach of seeing through the patients' eyes while relying on science, many lives have been changed. Caregivers have better skillsets to lean into, families have better options to continue to offer normalcy to their loved ones, and dementia patients have a new group of supporters to get them through the hard days and help appreciate the good ones.
Leadership posts included director of cardiac services for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and administrative supervisor for Emory University Orthopedics and Spine Hospital. She has also held nursing leadership roles in North Carolina, at Mission-St. Joseph Health System in Asheville, and at what is now Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. Marcia serves on the Outer Banks Dementia Task Force and led TOBH to be the first dementia-friendly hospital in the state. Under Marcia's leadership and vision, The Outer Banks Hospital announced its designation as the first Dementia-Friendly Hospital in the state of North Carolina on Wednesday, April 26, 2018.
"Dementia-friendly means recognizing that people with cognitive impairments have special needs and that those who care and provide services for these individuals are trained in best practices," said Marcia. "We made the decision to lead the way for other Dare County organizations and businesses as well hospitals across the state. "According to Hospital-Based Care for People with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia, between 2008 and 2010, dementia was the third-leading mental health reason for visits to the emergency room for North Carolina adults over 65. People with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia are also hospitalized two to three times more frequently than are non-cognitively impaired peers. As the population ages, these numbers are expected to rise. A dementia-friendly hospital provides an environment where patients with dementia are valued and respected, where the changes in the person are noticed, and where they and their caregivers are understood and accepted. Based on the special needs of people with dementia in the healthcare setting, The Outer Banks Hospital become a "dementia-friendly hospital."
A dementia-friendly hospital is one with a staff that cares about the community they serve, listens to the feelings of the families dealing with dementia, recognizes the signs of dementia, understands its special care needs, and takes action. A dementia-friendly hospital provides an environment where patients with dementia will be valued and respected and where the changes in the person will be noticed, understood, and accepted. A dementia-friendly hospital takes the point of view of a person with dementia, and then it does everything it can to create an environment where those patients can participate as independently and safely as possible.
As part of the Healthy Carolinians of the Outer Banks Dementia Task Force, Marcia fostered the relationship with The Outer Banks Hospital and helped to develop a joint community and hospital team to guide the hospital in decisions to support innovative changes to create a dementia-friendly designation. One of the team's first tasks was to look inward at training and competency among the staff who work directly with patients and families. The Outer Banks Hospital's dementia-friendly program now trains clinical and nonclinical staff about dementia and its impact on the patient, family, and caregivers.
The hospital's program has specific goals to improve the delivery of care, with a focus on five areas: improving recognition of dementia on admission, being able to identify special needs and risks, emphasizing the use of non-pharmacological interventions for managing the expression of the disease, involving the family in discharge planning, and providing dementia information and education to patients and caregivers.
"Every person has an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. As we are a hospital, it is our goal to make that difference by increasing our sensitivity and awareness of the difficulties persons with dementia, their families, and caregivers will experience,'' shared Marcia. "We are happy to go first and to lead the way for other community organizations and businesses. We look forward to sharing what we have learned with others and broadening this effort beyond healthcare and into other places where people with dementia and their caregivers go."
Since TOBH's recognition in April of 2018, Marcia has also supported additional healthcare systems both nationally and internationally. Marcia discusses TOBH's dementia-friendly process with UNC during their Dementia-Friendly Hospital Initiative. A proclamation was signed by the Governor in 2019 to make November "Dementia Awareness Month" in North Carolina on the heels of his visit to Dare Co to hear about the work being done by Marcia and others. Building on this work, and with Marcia's support, the task force has made it a goal to increase community awareness and understanding of dementia and actually created one of the first dementia-friendly communities in North Carolina. That required looking at its shops, restaurants, markets, and streets through the eyes of a person with dementia, then doing everything possible to make it a place where those with dementia can continue to live as independently as possible.
Developed by the Dementia Task Force, The Purple Seahorse has become the identifier for dementia-friendly organizations and businesses. When the symbol is displayed, it indicates that the business or organization has undergone training to learn how to identify someone with dementia so that they can make the experience in their environment one that is sensitive to the needs of that person and the caregiver{s).
Taskforce members train restaurant staff on site. Currently, there are multiple restaurants and businesses on the Outer Banks that are designated dementia-friendly. Marcia Bryant's initial vision of creating a safe environment for patients with dementia has stretched outside of the walls of The Outer Banks Hospital. Through her leadership and gentle approach of seeing through the patients' eyes while relying on science, many lives have been changed. Caregivers have better skillsets to lean into, families have better options to continue to offer normalcy to their loved ones, and dementia patients have a new group of supporters to get them through the hard days and help appreciate the good ones.