The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING VIRGINIA BELL
______
HON. ANDY BARR
of kentucky
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor an incredible woman, Virginia Bell. Mrs. Bell lives in Lexington, Kentucky and turned 100 years old on June 30, 2022.
Mrs. Bell was born and raised on a farm outside of Cynthiana, KY. She attended Transylvania University, graduating in 1944 with degrees in mathematics and biology. After raising five children with her husband Wayne, she went back to school and earned a master's degree in social work in 1982 at the age of 60. She became the first family counselor at the University of Kentucky's Sanders Brown Center on Aging. Mrs. Bell developed the revolutionary Best Friends Approach for the care of people with Alzheimer's and other dementias. She created the Best Friends Adult Day Program, one of the first dementia specific adult day care centers in the country. Her ideas have been replicated world-wide.
Mrs. Bell is internationally known in the field of dementia care, having lectured in over 30 countries.
She has co-authored 5 books and been widely published in professional journals. She was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Transylvania University in 1992. The National Council on Aging presented her with the prestigious Ruth Von Behren Award in 1994. She was the first inductee in the University of Kentucky College of Social Work Hall of Fame in 2004.
Mrs. Bell is a true pioneer. Her work leaves a lasting legacy and her advocacy for people with dementia has impacted countless lives. It is my honor to lift up the accomplishments of this remarkable woman and to honor her 100th birthday before the House of Representatives.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 124(1), Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 124(2)
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