Denise Scruggs, director of the Lynchburg College Beard Center on Aging, has become a certified dementia practitioner through the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP).
Scruggs is authorized to offer Alzheimer's and dementia training for educational purposes and for those who are interested in becoming nationally certified dementia practitioners. To start the process, candidates must attend an eight-hour dementia course from an authorized NCCDP trainer, and then meet other requirements.
Scruggs has worked with persons with dementia for more than 25 years both personally and professionally. She has managed a memory-support unit in a continuing care community and worked with persons diagnosed with dementia in residential and adult day care settings.
Scruggs holds a master's in student personnel services from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, as well as a master's in administration of justice and public safety and a bachelor's in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University.
She has been director of the Beard Center since 2007. The center, named in honor of LC alumna Belle Boone Beard, strives to increase understanding and address issues of aging and the needs of older citizens. Special emphasis is placed on community education and outreach involving students and faculty with older individuals in Central Virginia
Scruggs will be offering classes starting in the fall both locally and regionally on the East Coast. For more information, check www.nccdp.org or contact Denise Scruggs at 434/544-8456.