Our first guest today was Andrea Accoo, Director of Social Services for Golden Living Center – Briarwood. Andrea was born and raised on the Jersey shore and attended Bloomfield College and Rutgers for both undergraduate and graduate degrees in social work. She started her career in social work at a transitional housing facility for mentally ill individuals. At the urging of family, Andrea moved to Atlanta in 1999. After many years working with children and homeless families, she transitioned to a skilled nursing facility in 2001, and has been working with seniors now for nearly a decade. Andrea was recently recognized by the Georgia Society of Nursing Home Social Workers as Social Worker of the Year for 2009! Congratulations Andrea! Golden Living Briarwood is located on Lavista Road in Tucker. Andrea can be reached at (770) 938-5740.
Scott Anderson is a principal with Trivest Construction, Inc. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Scott attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture, and subsequently a Masters of Business Administration. Moving to Atlanta 13 years ago, Scott has spent the last six years with Trivest modifying homes for elderly and disabled individuals. He is a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), a designation by the National Association of Homebuilders and the AARP. This certification is designed to assist builders and remodelers become better acquainted with the needs of the elderly and disabled population. As such, Trivest attends trade shows to learn about new products and techniques, performs community service work and adheres to a special CAPS code of ethics. Their objective is to design toward an individual’s abilities, rather than disabilities, focusing on providing a safe and convenient environment that encourages independence. Scott can be reached at (678) 205-2886, or on the web at www.trivestconstruction.com.
Michael Johnson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Altus Hospice. As the son of a couple who started one of the first hospices in Atlanta, Michael has been involved in palliative care since he was 11 years old. Over the course of his formative years, Michael was sought out as a confidante and counselor. As such, he decided to pursue this gift clinically, first earning a BA in Psychology from the University of Georgia, then completing a Masters of Social Work from Georgia as well.
Graduating from the Medical College of Georgia with a Bachelors degree in nursing, Thames Pemberton spent a good bit of her career in the operating room at both Northside and North Fulton Regional Hospitals. After 16 years as an operating room nurse, Thames had the opportunity to get back out into the community where she felt she could have a greater impact. Thames is currently a Clinical In-patient Liason for Altus House, a hospice facility near Northside and St. Joseph’s Hospitals providing a very high level of care for complex hospice cases. Thames tells us that one of the unique aspects of Altus is the existence of a foundation that virtually guarantees that no one will ever go without the care they need. Thames and Michael can be reached at Altus at (770) 730-8405, or visit them on the web at www.altushospoice.com.
