Publications/Awards

Winning Essay – “Best Long-Term Care Team in the Nation”
Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation (CNR), Brooklyn, New York

Brenda Torres-Wells was the winning essay recipient for McKnight’s Long-Term Care Magazine’s national contest recognizing the “Best Long-Term Care Team in the Nation.” The award honored the outstanding interdisciplinary teamwork, innovation, and resident-centered excellence demonstrated by the Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation (CNR) in Brooklyn, New York.

Through this nationally recognized essay submission, Brenda highlighted the collaborative culture, therapeutic innovation, and commitment to quality of life that defined the CNR team’s work. This recognition further affirmed the organization’s leadership in advancing best practices in long-term care and reflected Brenda’s strategic vision and commitment to excellence in therapeutic and team-driven program development.

Brenda Torres-Wells received national recognition through the Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation (CNR) Team Award by AMDA — The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine for leading a Successful Falls Decline Initiative at CNR Long-Term Care in Brooklyn, New York.

As Recreation Director, Brenda provided strategic leadership to a multidisciplinary team of Recreation Therapists and Music Therapists, implementing a comprehensive schedule of therapeutic recreational programming throughout the day and evening hours. These targeted interventions significantly contributed to a high percentile reduction in resident falls, demonstrating the critical role of structured, evidence-informed recreational therapy in improving resident safety and clinical outcomes.

This award-winning initiative stands as one of many successful program models under Brenda’s leadership that have earned regional and national recognition for innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and measurable impact in long-term care.

AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine is the only national medical specialty society solely dedicated to representing professionals who practice in post-acute and long-term care settings. The organization represents a community of more than 50,000 medical directors, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other healthcare practitioners working across the full continuum of long-term care.

AMDA’s 5,500 professional members serve in:

• Skilled nursing facilities
• Long-term care and assisted living communities
• Continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs)
• Home health and hospice programs
• Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)
• Additional post-acute and long-term care settings nationwide

Creating an individualized computer experience begins with a comprehensive assessment tool developed by Brenda Torres-Wells, ensuring that each participant’s abilities, needs, interests, and therapeutic goals are fully understood. Through this intentional process, technology becomes not just a tool, but a meaningful avenue for engagement, learning, and connection.

Brenda is deeply committed to educating and mentoring student interns from both high schools and universities, guiding them in the proper application of modified adaptive equipment and in understanding the therapeutic purpose behind each technological intervention. She emphasizes not only the how, but the why—instilling clinical insight, compassion, and innovation in the next generation of practitioners.

The true reward emerges in the moment of discovery, when individuals engage in exploration, achieve new understanding, and experience joy through a custom-designed computer experience that supports dignity, independence, and lifelong learning.

The Brooklyn Bed-Stuy Senior Task Force formally recognized and honored Brenda Torres-Wells for her outstanding community service with the “Woman on the Front Line” Artwork Award, presented by Ramona Candy. This award reflects Brenda’s lifelong commitment to advocacy, civic engagement, and service to underserved communities.

Brenda’s journey in community advocacy began at just 14 years old, when she served as a student intern for former New York City Councilwoman Ruth Messinger (later Manhattan Borough President) and current Manhattan Borough President Hon. Gale Brewer. During this early civic experience, Brenda worked on a project that led her to identify inefficiencies in New York City’s garbage pickup process. Through her research, observations, and recommendations, she successfully helped influence a change in an NYC sanitation policy at the age of 14—a pivotal moment that shaped her lifelong dedication to public service and systems improvement.

Years later, during Gale Brewer’s second-term swearing-in ceremony, President Brewer publicly asked Brenda to stand and introduced her to distinguished guests, sharing how Brenda, as a young teenager, had already made a meaningful impact on New York City’s sanitation operations. This public acknowledgment underscored the lasting impression of Brenda’s early leadership and civic contribution.

Brenda credits her foundational advocacy training to the mentorship of two powerful New York City leaders—Ruth Messinger and Gale Brewer—who became not only her mentors, but also trusted lifelong supporters. Both leaders have publicly expressed their pride in Brenda’s continued work and recognize the significant role she still plays in advocating for seniors, youth, and vulnerable populations across the community.

Today, Brenda’s advocacy remains a defining element of her professional and personal mission—bridging policy, service, education, healing, and community empowerment.

Brenda Torres-Wells collaborated with Taimak Guarriello, acclaimed actor from the classic film The Last Dragon, on multiple community-based projects serving both youth and seniors. Together, they merged their unique talents to deliver innovative programming that combined therapeutic exercise instruction, adaptive computer programming, and creative engagement to support physical wellness, confidence-building, and skill development across generations.

Brenda provided consultation, curriculum design, and program development support for the creation of a dynamic youth initiative titled Taimak’s Unfolding Dreams. This program was designed to inspire, empower, and equip young people through structured mentorship, movement, technology-based learning, and creative expression.

This collaboration stands as a powerful example of Brenda’s work in community-centered consulting, where she partners with artists, educators, and public figures to build sustainable, purpose-driven programs that respond to real community needs.

🔗 Read about Taimak 

🔗Read here the article about Taimak’s Unfolding Dreams initiative. 

🔗 Watch “Unfolding Dreams” in Action
Click here to view the Unfolding Dreams program facilitation.