16 Each individual is unique and on their own journey through life, so why should care look the same for everyone? Dr. Macie Smith utilizes her experience of care management, social work, professional speaking, and consultancy, as well as her deep compassion for people, to give others access to digestible information on caring for someone with dementia. Here we learn more about Dr. Macie Smith and her second book – A Dementia Caregiver Called to Action: The Journey. Creating a solid and impactful plan for care – no matter where someone lives – Dr. Macie Smith provides stellar consultancy services to a plethora of people with dementia, and their families/caregivers. Dr. Smith’s premium services can be carried out entirely remotely to guarantee help for those in need who may live somewhere out of reach. Although Dr. Smith’s services come at a cost, she does everything in her power to provide help for everyone via different means such as audio, text, and video content sharing, free care guidebooks for Synergy® HomeCare, delivering talks in person or remotely, and sharing many copies of her book entirely free of charge. We were lucky enough to receive a copy of Dr. Smith’s book and are proud to introduce her second book – following on from A Dementia Caregiver’s Guide to Care: Just Ask Dr. Macie published in 2019 – A Dementia Caregiver Called to Action: The Journey. This book invites us to delve deeper into compassionate thinking to better understand our loved ones. Furthermore, this book fills us with hope as we plan for the worst when we’re faced with caring for someone with dementia. Of course, taking good care of our loved ones who are experiencing dementia can be a tough task – especially while balancing this with taking care of ourselves. It’s clear that getting a balance between self-care and caring for others is of utmost importance, and we’re sure that Dr. Smith’s book will point you in the right direction for caring for others in a way that allows you to have the capacity for the balance we need in our lives. Dr. Smith’s books help to quieten the noise of the endless information on dementia and how to care for those affected by it. By simplifying the thought process and delivering digestible information to us, Dr. Smith continues to help both individuals with dementia and those who are also affected by the symptom. By giving back to the communities around us, Dr. Smith is slowly yet steadily having a positive impact on those we know and those we love – and giving us the tools we need to be reliable caregivers, however we’re needed. Dr. Smith’s accessible blog posts and work across many platforms have ensured that her message is being heard more often and by many more people year upon year. Being introduced to Dr. Smith’s work has been eye-opening for us at Global Health & Pharma and it’s a pleasure to have featured an article about Dr. Smith on our website recently. Her work is invaluable and much appreciated by many, and the future is looking extremely bright for Dr. Smith and everyone touched by the ripples of her impactful work. With such a rich background of experience, from South Carolina State University’s Vice Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees to being a Licensed Social Worker for the State of South Caroline Board of Social Work Examiners, a Social Worker in Gerontology, and a Social Work Case Manager, Dr. Smith truly has what it takes to turn her success into the success of those providing care for their loved ones. Researching and presenting content across different topics for WOCS 93.7 FM radio, Dr. Smith reaches many people across South Carolina. From captivating talks via radio to content across YouTube and Saltbox TV, written guidebooks, and her published books available on the market to all, Dr. Smith’s contribution to demystifying dementia is growing all the time. Moreover, Dr. Smith’s content is straightforward, to the point, digestible, and lighthearted as she ‘edutains’ her audience. As Dr. Smith aims to educate and entertain her readers, listeners, and viewers, she promises to leave them with food for thought, interesting insights, and a weight lifted from their shoulders. She believes it’s incredibly important to transform what is typically seen as a heavy subject into something that we can easily understand and learn to feel more positive about. No one wants to hear the news, but if we do we are equipped with all the tools needed to lead with compassion and preserve our loved ones’ quality of life – in a way we may not have done before our paths crossed with the wisdom of Dr. Smith. As an Assistant Professor at Benedict College in Columbia – a private and historically black college founded in 1870 – Dr. Smith is used to communicating with people of all ages. From this position to her tapestry of diverse experience elsewhere, Dr. Smith ties her uplifting approach to helping everyone – not simply supporting our communities, but working tirelessly to raise awareness and offer help to those in underserved communities too. As mentioned in our previous article, Dr. Smith’s involvement in many different projects and positions feeds back into her involvement with uniting a network of people to care for those affected by the conditions which cause dementia. This is especially relevant to the fact that, statistically, African Americans are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease – which causes 60-70% of dementia Dr. Macie Smith Delivers a New Approach to Dementia Care By Sofi Parry
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