Donna Newman-Bluestein, BC-DMT, CMA, LMHC, is a board certified dance/movement therapist, Certified Movement Analyst, licensed mental health counselor, Adjunct Faculty at Lesley University, dancer with Back Pocket Dancers intergenerational company and 2023 Maude’s Awards Recipient for Innovation in Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care. Since receiving her M.Ed. in Expressive Therapies with a major in dance/movement therapy from Lesley University, Donna has worked with children with physical disabilities, adults in acute psychiatric distress and in medical rehabilitation, and with senior adults in long-term care and Assisted Living residences. As an educator, supervisor, trainer and speaker, Donna’s work has focused entirely for the past 15 years on transforming the culture of care for people with dementia through dance and embodied caregiving. To motivate people with advanced dementia to engage with others through movement, Donna invented the Octaband®. She has co-authored numerous articles and published a training manual, The Dance of Interaction: Nonverbal Communication Training for Caregivers of People with Dementia, An Embodied Approach.