For Immediate Release
Contact: Kaitlin Konecke, Marketing Manager
Phone: 410-337-9585 x181
Email: kkonecke@healthpropress.com
Baltimore, MD (March 18, 2024) — Naomi Feil, the originator of the Validation method, died on December 24, 2023, at the age of 91. While HPP mourns the loss of a remarkable woman, we also honor her extraordinary life and celebrate the legacy she has left behind.
Known as the “godmother” of person-centered elder care, Naomi was a pioneering social worker and gerontologist who transformed long-term care in the 1970s with her introduction of Validation as a communication strategy. This approach asks caregivers to “step into the world” of older adults who seem confused or disoriented, and “meet them where they are” without forcing them into our reality, using diversion, or lying to them. From her own experiences engaging with residents in nursing homes, Naomi posited that there are reasons behind the sometimes challenging behaviors of disoriented older adults, who may not be experiencing reality in the same way as the rest of us. You may be sitting in a room in 2024, but a person with dementia sitting right beside you might be experiencing being in their childhood bedroom at age 8, crying because mother took away a favorite toy. Rather than forcing that person back to 2024, Validation provides space for expressing and acknowledging those feelings that are very real and present to the person in his or her current reality. Through her Validation method, Naomi provided caregivers with a set of communication tools to be with the person in such moments with empathy, compassion, and respect. Doing so allows those with mental distress or dementia to process and accept their life experiences, which can ultimately help them reach resolution and peace in their final stage of life.
Validation was a game-changer when it was first introduced. Using and teaching this approach, Naomi helped older adults regain dignity, reduce anxiety, prevent their withdrawal, and decrease use of psychoactive drugs. In turn, it helped caregivers communicate more effectively and avoid burnout and depression. Through her books, workshops, videos, and training centers, Naomi became internationally recognized for her work with older people and was one of the most sought-after trainers in the field. More than 30,000 facilities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan have adopted Validation, and nearly 90,000 professional and family caregivers across four continents have attended her workshops. There are 23 Validation centers teaching Validation certification courses in 13 countries.
HPP has been a longtime partner in disseminating Validation knowledge, having published numerous resources by Naomi including her seminal book The Validation Breakthrough, which published in a new fourth edition only a year before her passing. “It was an honor to work with Naomi across more than 30 years. She was an inspiration to all ─ fearless, wise, and wonderful. Her impact on the field will be lasting, and the positive ways she touched individual lives was immeasurable,” says Mary Magnus, Director of Publications at Health Professions Press.
Naomi Feil’s work lives on through her non-profit organization, the Validation Training Institute (VTI). It was her wish that VTI continue with the same energy and passion that she demonstrated over 60 years of professional life. HPP also proudly carries this legacy forward ─ in collaboration with Naomi’s daughter, Vicki de Klerk-Rubin ─ by continuing to help the Validation method reach as many people with dementia and their families as possible.
Visit our memory page here.
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About Health Professions Press, Inc.
Health Professions Press (Baltimore, MD) is a publisher of high-quality educational resources for professionals interested in wellness and aging, long-term care, elder care, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and healthcare management. Visit www.healthpropress.com or follow @healthpropress on social media to learn more.
