Imani Simmons told us about her trip to Guatemala as a child. She remembered going in 1988 when she was 8, but in reality it was 1987 when she was six. Her parents let her go on the trip with a trusted friend. However, while there she had three near death experiences. First, her car almost went over the side of a steep road. Second, she was caught in a scary in encounter with rebels, who were shooting the drivers of all the cars on the road. Finally, she had serious fever that let to her have a near-death vision. She followed her tale of this scary trip with the lessons she learned during that trip and from those experiences. She learned that she was wealthy compared to those who lived in Guatemala. She learned that time is precious. Don’t do things you don’t want to do; don’t waste time. Because of her experiences, she is drawn to working with the older population because they know life is precious. She also learned memories are not accurate, so you shouldn’t stay in the past. You can only control the now. Be grateful, be brave and be bold!! Have good relationships and cherish the people in your life – it’s what makes people have a good life. Thank you Imani for all of these wonderful lessons!
Imani has been a licensed physical therapist assistant for the last five years. She has advanced credentials in dementia and aging in place. Imani utilizes her credentials to provide education for healthcare professionals, college students, and caregivers to improve the care for persons with dementia and their family. Imani has given over 100 talks on various topics including Caregiver Self-Care, Dementia Care, Mindfulness, Parkinson's Disease, Creativity and the Power of Dance. She was a guest speaker at the Alzheimer's Association Caregiver's Conference, the Keynote speaker at Austin Community College's PTA graduation last year and a reoccurring lecturer at ACC on various topics.