Pioneer of the validation method for supporting people with dementia, Naomi Feil, died on Christmas Eve at the age of 91 at her home in Oregon, USA.
Naomi began her ground-breaking work on validation after realising in her interactions with older people who had cognitive impairments that using reality orientation, diversion or lying wasn’t meeting the person’s needs.
Naomi’s first book, ‘Validation, the Feil Method’ (1982), was followed by others including ‘The Validation Breakthrough’, but it was how she captured her work in film – supported by her filmmaker husband – that really engaged professionals and families alike. Perhaps the most famous example of this is Naomi’s film with Gladys Wilson https://youtu.be/CrZXz10FcVM?si=1fRupuV1SxYN7JWz.
Naomi’s work continues thanks to the Validation Training Center, which she set up in 1982, now led by her daughter Vicki.
You can read the full obituary to Naomi here: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/naomi-feil-obituary?id=53938156