Memory Care Innovation Award Winner: Kayla Howard, Activities Director, Dyersburg Health & Rehabilitation Center

Kayla Howard, Activities Director at Dyersburg Health & Rehabilitation Center, has been named a 2025 Memory Care Innovation Award winner by Skilled Nursing News.

The Memory Care Innovation Awards program is designed to recognize passionate and innovative industry members who are shaping the future of cognitive care across behavioral health, home health and home care, hospice and palliative care, senior housing and senior living, and skilled nursing. To become a Memory Care Innovation Award winner, an individual must be nominated by their peers. The candidate should be a high-performing employee who knows how to put vision into action, serving as an advocate for those living with memory-related disorders and the committed professionals who ensure their well-being.

Howard sat down with Skilled Nursing News to share her journey caring for patients and residents with cognitive care needs, her thoughts on the future of cognitive care in skilled nursing, and much more. To learn more about the Memory Care Innovation Awards program and view this year’s winners, visit

SNN: How long have you been a part of the skilled nursing industry?

Howard: I have been in the skilled nursing industry almost 4 years, starting in December of 2021.

SNN: What drew you to caring for patients/residents with cognitive care needs?

Howard: My father was a resident of our nursing facility. I decided to apply for a job there so I could see and be with him everyday. He also had dementia and I wanted to be his “familiar.” I didn’t want him to forget me. 

SNN: If you could change one thing about cognitive care in the skilled nursing industry, what would it be?

Howard: Definitely more education on dementia for staff.

SNN: If you had a crystal ball, what do you think will most impact your ability to provide cognitive care in the skilled nursing industry in the next five years?

Howard: If I had a crystal ball I would use it to slow time down. I would be able to spend longer time with each individual person living with dementia, caring for them.

SNN: If you could describe cognitive care in the skilled nursing industry in one word, what would it be and why?

Howard: Compassion.

In this industry, you have to have compassion, understanding, patience, and a heart for the job. It’s not an easy one. Having the ability to understand that each person was once a member of the outside world and just because they can’t remember it is our job to remember for them.

SNN: What’s been the biggest lesson you have learned throughout your career?

Howard: To never lose my cool. No matter the situation, no matter what the resident is going through or the behaviors they’re exhibiting, you have to tell yourself this is the disease doing this, not them.

SNN: If you could give yourself advice on the first day in the skilled nursing industry, what would it be and why?

Howard: Never give up. This is where you are meant to be, and there will be hard times, but you will push through and make a difference in so many lives.

SNN: In your opinion, what qualities should all Memory Care Innovation Award winners possess?

Howard: Again, compassion. If your heart is not in the right place, then this is not the line of work for you. This is not just for winners. It’s for all workers in the skilled nursing industry.

Another quality is drive. You have to be driven. For me, having a loved one struck with dementia and working in a facility gave me perception from both ends. I have seen from a staff’s point of view and from a family’s point of view. That has been what’s led me to push forward. I have so many dreams of making our memory care unit thrive.