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payroll.
“They get hammered. So lawyers work to struc-
ture these plant-touching businesses to maximize the taxation system, often creating two separate companies.”
Steiner will bring in guest speakers from different areas of the law, including CCC members, to pro- vide real-world perspectives, and students are also required to write and present their own independent scholarly papers on cannabis-law topics.
Speaking of the CCC, the law school’s seminars with commissioners and other experts in various areas of the law proved to be a valuable resource for locals, including potential business owners, who wanted information on topics ranging from licensing to operational requirements to municipal controls, without having to go to Boston.
“We thought early on we had the ability to align with the Cannabis Control Commission to help edu- cate the practicing bar across the state,” she noted. “Lawyers, consultants, and people who wanted to be stakeholders would show up, and we’d talk about reg- ulations and what businesses looked like. When they amended the regulations, we educated people again. We were, pre-COVID, the physical presence in West- ern Mass. for the Cannabis Control Commission.”
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take place in a sensory room that allows residents to have experiences that reduce agitation and frustra- tion, especially late in the day, a phenomenon known as sundowning.
“Some don’t want to be touched, or don’t like bright lights or loud sounds. They react differently
to activities,” Schelb said, explaining that the sen- sory room is softly lit, soothing music often plays, and the room incorporates tactile technology, on touchscreens and activity panels, that stimulates in a calmer way.
“We downplay the aggravation for them. We teach staff how to recognize it and what to do, and it’s part of their care plan. We know what activities they like. And any new technology they have out there, we try to get and incorporate into our care plans and train staff to utilize them properly.”
Beyond its own programs, Ruth’s House works
Changing the Narrative
Cannabis law is a passion project for Steiner, who also teaches Environmental and Land Use Law, Torts, and Introduction to Law.
“I’ve been involved in the history of how it has gone from its infancy through decriminalization through medical legalization, watching the birth of the adult, recreational-use industry, and now we have a viable and developed phenomenon. We have to keep pace with this, and that’s a fun challenge, edu-
“We have to keep pace with this,
and that’s a fun challenge, educating
lawyers and would-be lawyers. It’s
”
cating lawyers and would-be lawyers. It’s truly a mis- sion of mine in life.”
She prides herself on teaching law students how to be not only competent, but ethical practitioners
in the field, who can counsel clients who often have plenty of misimpressions about legalization and what that means, since state and federal laws are currently so far apart.
with families on their own communication, Schelb said.
“Sometimes we find families don’t know how to interact with their loved ones, causing frustrations. There’s a level of resentment because it really engulfs their whole life. We say, ‘let us help you; let us be the caregiver, and you go back to being the son or daugh- ter or husband or wife.’ It’s really hard to do both.”
By focusing on the relationship and not the care- giving, families learn to move past the frustrations of life with Alzheimer’s or dementia, especially during the early stages when they’re just getting acclimated to the situation.
“They can get upset with mom or dad: ‘I just told you that; how do you not remember that?’ But they’re not purposefully forgetting; this is just part of the disease,” Schelb said, so family education and sup- port groups are crucial — as is understanding when
As for federal legalization, “I welcome it because it’s sensible policy,” Steiner said. “We simply shouldn’t have a robust, viable workforce and an industry that is a real economic player that is forced to confront all- cash situations, which is dangerous and poor policy for everyone involved.”
Her public talks have addressed colleges grappling with the issue of legal medical marijuana, employers wondering if they can drug test for something that’s now legal in Massachusetts, and other audiences, ranging from public-health professionals to drug task forces, and even legislators. “Early on, policy influ- encers needed to think through policy changes. We tried to be on the cutting edge, helping them think through that lens.”
Steiner is also passionate about social justice in the realm of drug policy. “Or, should I say, social injustice,” she quickly added. “We have become part of the seal- ing and expungement movement and have partnered to provide sealing and expungement clinics.”
But even that effort is problematic, she recently wrote in a scholarly article last summer.
“While expungement is a laudable and neces- sary remedy to mitigate individual cannabis crimi- nal record-based harm,” she wrote, “expungement also yields an outcome paradox: to further justice by
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sometimes they realize it’s just too much, and they realize they have options on our campus.”
It’s a campus that embraces not only person-cen- tered care, Halpern said, but — at least in the Sosin Center — the ‘green house’ model of small-house care, which focuses on three goals: an authentic, home-like setting; meaningful life; and empowered staff.
“We recognize the environment is important to peoples’ well-being and how they feel,” she noted, adding that a second phase of what’s been called Project Transformation will bring the green-house model of renovations to the Leavitt Jewish Family Home as well — arguably a more important site for it, since it’s a long-term facility where residents will live the rest of their lives.
In short, Halpern said, JGS continues to look at ways to meet residents where they are.
“That affects how we care for people with demen- tia as well,” she added. “It’s part of our philosophy.” u
   truly a mission of mine in life.
    Memory quality of life.
of the day, what the Cooley Dickinson Emergency Department really needs is real estate.
“We need physical beds, and having an expanded footprint will allow us to really meet our community’s needs,” he said. “So we’re building an ED for 40,000 to 48,000 ED visits per year. Right now we’re around 32,000 to 34,000 visits per year, but the Val- ley is a popular place, it’s only growing, and we know we’re going to need that capacity.”
Both Redwood and Dukette enthusiasti- cally stressed that this project is essential for the well-being of their community.
“We’re extremely proud of the fact that we are very inclusive, and we do everything we can to make whoever shows up in our emergency room feel welcomed and cared for,” Dukette said. “We’re a team.” u
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“Concentrate on what makes them happy,” Todd said. “Their long-term memory is
still there, so it’s an opportunity to encourage talking about good memories they have.”
Music can also be an effective way to promote good memories. Cardillo referenced a study of a group of people with dementia who were suffering from depression. Researchers asked their families what music the person enjoyed when they were young and made a playlist of that music to play on headphones.
“It woke up their brains and changed their moods,” Cardillo said. “We all hear music and it brings us back to a certain time.” Because music gives most everyone fond memories, she added, it’s no sur- prise that music brings pleasure to those with dementia as well.
Whatever the milestones along the journey, once family mem- bers can move past their denial and fear, she noted, they can really make a difference for their parents.
“When people understand that dementia is not something to be feared, they can begin to accept it and be there for their loved ones.” u
it’s time to seek the times they can stay
appropriate level of help. “Some- at home, and we can help. But
CDH
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million-dollar challenge: to raise a million dollars by March 1, and then they’ll give us another million dollars,” Dukette said.
In regard to that $1 million goal, Cooley Dickinson has $117,000 left to raise over the next two weeks before it can garner the matching $1 million. Toward the end of the year, the hospital anticipates reaching out to the community for fundraising, which will coincide with when construction starts.
“This is a project that truly touches everyone in our community, and the club is honored to support the hospital,” said Steve Roberts, 2021-22 president of the Northampton Rotary Club, on the club’s recent $5,000 gift to the campaign.
Bottom Line
Redwood emphasized that, at the end
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