My first foray into health and human services began when at age 15 I volunteered at a free clinic in Suburban Chicago.
At 16, I held my first professional job at a residential community for developmentally disabled children. Trained in medically oriented child care, I was introduced to the complexity of caring for persons with severe and profound medical and cognitive conditions.
I learned to focus on my client's strengths while providing support in those areas where they needed assistance. Intuiting the needs of those that could not verbally communicate was a critical skill that I developed here.
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During young adulthood I continued my work with special populations at Camp Little Giant, a summer camp for disabled adults and children, at the Touch of Nature Environmental Center operated by the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale(SIU-C).
At SIU I was introduced to the concept of experiential education and took a position as an outdoor program leader at the schools therapeutic outward bound adaptive program. Here I obtained experiential education and leadership skills while leading outdoor programs for a variety of populations including youth at risk, the elderly,and disabled adults.
My most rewarding experience as an outdoor program leader was the opportunity to facilitate challenging and life affirming outdoor experiences for adults with cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. These individuals demonstrated to themselves and others the enormous capacity of human will and determination in overcoming obstacles and achieving success.
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As part of my work at SIU I obtained training as an Emergency Medical Technician and became the Camp Medic. This led to my interest and eventual education in nursing.
During and after completion of nursing school my work focused on community based residential programs for adults with traumatic head injuries and those with chronic mental illnesses.
This experiences reinforced in me the belief that that simply trying to achieve and maintaining an equilibrium towards ones highest level of autonomy is a laudable and achievable goal.
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While completing my undergraduate degree in the late 1980's I began my work in geriatrics,as a nurse in a hospice program. Here I spent many hours with older adults in the active stage of dying while supporting their families through this process.
I concurrently worked as a nurse in an assisted living facility that served older adults with chronic health conditions and severe cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer's Disease. This day to day interaction with older adults and their families taught me the value of developing a relationship and intimate knowledge of the individuals, and how this intimacy helped me intuit their needs and serve them.
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Towards completion of my undergraduate work in Social Work at the Evergreen State College I held an internship at the local Area Agency on Aging. This led to full time employment as a Senior Case Manager where I served older adults in their homes in rural Southwest Washington.
After 5 years as a case manager I was selected to manage an experimental program to deliver case management services in an independent housing program for frail elders.
Here I managed a federally subsidized housing program designed especially for frail older adults. The goal of this program was to assist elders age in place in an independent non-institutional setting and to reduce the risk of premature institutionalization.
While managing this program I gained experience in developing additional projects in the area.
During this time I completed graduate school. My studies and research focused on Geriatrics and Organizational and Family Systems. My thesis focused on how health and human service serving older adults and families of older adults can enhance or impede the effectiveness of eldercare depending on their skill at organizing, collaborating and cooperating with one another.
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Following graduate school I was promoted to Director of Housing and Community Services for a large non-profit health system. Here I developed new programs and supervised the operations of programs serving older adults including: several hundred apartment units for low-income elderly, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing, home health, hospice,and a community based clinic for low-income frail older adults.
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In 2003 I founded Eldercare Services, a Geriatric Care Management practice that assists older adults and their families face the growing complexity of elder care. My goal is helping older adults achieve their goals, maximize and maintain their health and independence, and reduce risks that might impede their goals.
By making the challenges of later life manageable and reducing caregiver stress I assist older adults and their families manage the complex health care/eldercare system.
