May Bjerre Eiby

May Bjerre Eiby is a certified nurse with a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Aarhus in Denmark. Most of her work has been with older adults in nursing homes and hospitals. In 2016, she established Dagmarsminde, a small nursing home north of Copenhagen for people with dementia. Her goal was to create a care home founded on more compassionate, person-centered practices than she had found in other care settings, especially for those with dementia. The approach to care at Dagmarsminde is built on a deep knowledge of each resident’s needs and personalized care emphasizing comfort, individual attention, and active engagement of staff with both the residents and their relatives. In adopting this vision, the staff at Dagmarsminde have successfully eliminated the use of anti-psychotic medicines and sedatives and enabled their residents to live active, normal lives in the company of others.

Eiby has lectured around the world on the current state of dementia care and her distinctive approach to it. In 2021, in recognition of her efforts to challenge the status quo in elder care, she earned the prestigious Fonsmark Prize, awarded to a Danish citizen who helps raise public awareness. In addition, Dagmarsminde is the subject of the 2021 documentary directed by Louis Detlefsen, It Is Not Over Yet.