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“Then for the teeming quietest, happiest days of all!” – Halcyon Hospice!

March 21, 2013 by angishields

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"Then for the teeming quietest, happiest days of all!" - Halcyon Hospice!

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Originally from Ohio, Anissa Groves attended the University of Toledo, earning a degree in Science Education with a minor in Psychology. Graduating in 1992, in a tough job market, Anissa decided to pursue a Masters Degree in Social Work at Arizona State University. After thirteen years in Phoenix, Anissa decided to move to Atlanta to be close family.

After earning her degree, Anissa worked in pharamaceutical sales. About five years ago, she had an opportunity to observe hospice up close when her grandfather passed away. Given her education in social work, she decided to learn more about hospice. This ultimately led her to her current position at Halcyon Hospice.

Halcyon Hospice was formed when owners Don Cole and and Jack Drauhon purchased both Compassionate Hospice and Altus Hospice. The company was named after the Walt Whitman poem, Halcyon Days, referencing that period of calm during the winter, when storms do not occur.

To get more information about Halcyon Hospice, check them out on the the web at www.excellenceinhospice.com or call them at (678) 328-1700.

We want to thank Griswold Home Care for sponsoring today’s show. Griswold Home Care has been a preferred provider of high quality, affordable in-home senior care in Atlanta for 20 years.

Lois Ricci, Geriatric Education Consultant and Chris Smith, ParkGate Active Adult Retirement Community

March 8, 2012 by angishields

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Lois Ricci, Geriatric Education Consultant and Chris Smith, ParkGate Active Adult Retirement Community

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Chris Smith is a fourth-generation Bostonian and a descendant of Governor William Bradford (Mayflower). After majoring in business at Boston College, she moved to Dallas and was married in 1977. Chris worked in several start-up companies with her husband, spanning restaurants, pest control and real estate. Chris then decided to pursue her passion for helping people.

Having looked up to her grandmother, who was a nurse and one of the finest people she had ever known, Chris endeavored to emulate her. All her life, Chris had been a caretaker and enjoyed making a difference in peoples’ lives. Being a baby boomer, Chris is very cognizant of our aging population and for a long time has had a keen interest in seniors.

A dear friend told Chris of a friend who owned a senior living community and needed help with marketing. They met and there was an instant connection. Chris has been part of ParkGate for a year and finds working with people in this industry to be one of the most gratifying experiences that she could have hoped for. The people in the elder care profession have proven to be kind-hearted, caring, attentive and selfless. Chris says “It’s so rewarding to be among people who really do care.” For more information about ParkGate, email Chris at chris.smith@parkgatedallas.com or call the main number at 214-219-1091. You can also visit their website at www.parkgatedallas.com.

Born and raised in Boston, Lois Ricci has been a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner for 40 years. She started her nursing career working night shifts in the ICU at a hospital in Missouri. While there, she was asked to teach nursing assistants in a nursing home. She quickly realized that she loved working with the elderly (and didn’t love working the night shift)! She went on to do graduate work in Gerontology, and earned a doctorate in education. She recently spent three years with the University of Georgia Institute of Gerontology, and now is teaching courses at Kennesaw, University of Georgia and Clayton State University.

Lois also sits on the board of the Georgia Gerontology Society. This is an organization that provides a wide variety of educational resources to its members, and to the community. In addition, the Georgia Gerontology Society holds two educational events each year. On March 16, the Society is hosting its Spring workshop, entitled Palliative Care: Bringing the Pieces Together. This event will be held at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in the Eversole Auditorium from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. The cost is $50, and lunch and parking are provided. While the event will be held in Macon, it will be well worth the 75 minute drive! In addition, Social Work CEUs will be available. Find out more by visiting the website: www.georgiagerontologysociety.com. Lois can be reached via email at loisricci@bellsouth.net.

We want to thank Griswold Special Care for sponsoring today’s show. Griswold Special Care has been a preferred provider of high quality, affordable in-home senior care in Dallas and Atlanta for 20 years.

APDA Chapter President Annemarie Schwarzkopf and Brentwood Home Health & Palliative Care’s Joyce Edwards

February 16, 2012 by angishields

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APDA Chapter President Annemarie Schwarzkopf and Brentwood Home Health & Palliative Care's Joyce Edwards

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Joyce Edwards is a Nebraska native who moved to Texas about a decade ago. After graduating from the University of Nebraska – Omaha with a degree in social work, Joyce went to work to work for a nursing home where she worked closely with patients that had Alzheimer’s and dementia. After transition into assisted living and eventually home health and hospice, Joyce became the Administrator at Brentwood Home Health and Palliative Care.

Brentwood’s Palliative Care program provides care options to patients with a life threatening illness while they pursue treatment and work on recovering. For more information regarding Brentwood’s program, email Joyce at jedwards@brentwoodhomehealth.com.

Originally from Pennsylvania, with a degree from Brown University, Annemarie Schwarzkopf, like so many of our guests, was attracted to the senior services field by a personal experience regarding care for her grandparents. She is an Eldercare Advisor for A Place for Mom, and is the current Board President of the Georgia Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA).

A Place for Mom is a referral service for seniors and their families that helps families identify the best senior living and care options for their needs and budget. Annemarie is one of 18 local advisors for A Place for Mom, and has been with them for six years.

The American Parkinson Disease Association was founded in 1961 to facilitate patient and family support, medical research, and education. An estimated 1.5 million Americans have Parkinson’s disease. To date, there is no cure. The primary purposes of the Georgia Chapter are to raise awareness about Parkinson’s disease, educate the community, raise funds for research and for support of the Association and the local chapter.

On April 21^st, the APDA will be holding its Skyline Gala at the Nelson Mullins Skydeck in Atlanta from 6pm to 10PM. The event will consist of cocktails, dinner, dancing and a silent auction. The event will be emceed by Monica Kaufman Pearson, Channel 2 Action News anchorwoman. This event is the Georgia APDA’s principal fund raising event for the year. To find out more about the event, please visit the website: www.apdageorgia.org. Contact Annemarie directly at (404) 290-9596, or email her at annemaries@aplaceformom.com.

Mike Doviak of Amedisys, and Cynthia Braswell of AseraCare Hospice

May 26, 2011 by angishields

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Mike Doviak of Amedisys, and Cynthia Braswell of AseraCare Hospice

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Originally from the Northeast, Mike Doviak’s interest in the medical field was kindled by his mother who was a nurse, and her passion for people. His focus on geriatrics stems from close relationships with is grandparents. After studying painting and graduating with a degree in teaching from Radford College in Virginia, Mike was asked to move to Dallas to help a friend start a home health company. Mike has been in the industry in Dallas for many years and credits his success to attention to detail that he learned through his art studies. Mike is a well known and well respected fixture in the medical community in Dallas and enjoys interacting with his clients and their families. Today he is an account executive with Amedisys Home Health, one of the country’s largest home health firm’s headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mike can be reached at 972-740-8125, or via email at mdoviak@verizon.net. Check out their website at www.amedisys.com.

Cynthia Braswell moved to Atlanta 35 years ago from Cleveland, Ohio, to got to Nursing School. In addition to being a “Grady grad”, she also pursued a degree in Health Administration and received a Masters in Education from Georgia State University. She has a passion for serving people, and considers her career her ministry and mission as well. For the past six months, Cynthia has been the Regional Sales Director for AseraCare Hospice, with responsibility for both Georgia and Alabama. When asked what she really does for a living with AseraCare, she will tell you “I’m in the Memory Making Business”. According to Cynthia, her primary role is in helping patients and their families make the most of the time they have left together. When asked about the AseraCare difference, Cynthia noted two items: first, that they offer an advanced telemonitoring program for their patients – making the most of what technology can offer today, and second, AseraCare’s Transitional Care Program, which provides an additional level of support within the first 24 hours of a hospice diagnosis. Cynthia can be reached at (404) 414-7753. She can also be reached via email at Cynthia.braswell@aseracare.com. Check them out on the web at www.aseracare.com.

Special thanks to Griswold Special Care, A Tradition in Home Care Excellence since 1982, for hosting today’s show!

Compassionate Care Hospice and Hearthstone at Irving

March 24, 2011 by angishields

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Compassionate Care Hospice and Hearthstone at Irving

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Hearthstone Senior Services was founded in 1993, and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Their mission is to provide quality and affordable assisted living care and services that offer value and exceed the expectations of our residents and their families. That is exactly what Rhonda Bitner, Executive Director of Hearthstone at Irving, and her team strive to do every day. Though Rhonda didn’t start her career in senior services, she tells us that it has been a blessing to her for the past ten years, and she can’t see doing anything else. Liz Johnson is Hearthstone at Irving’s Resident Care Director. She is in charge of all aspects of care for Hearthstone’s residents. And while she downplays her role, Rhonda confides that Liz does yeoman’s work, and is an absolutely essential part of the team! One of Hearthstone’s differentiators is their food. Chef Mike Gantz is the responsible for truly making food something extraordinary at Hearthstone. From the fresh ingredients to the nutritionally balanced meals to the recipes contributed by residents and their families, Mike make the dining experience at Hearthstone exceptional. For more information about Hearthstone at Irving, stop by for a tour at 2425 Texas Drive in Irving, call them at 972-659-6800, or visit them on the web at www.hscsal.com.

“You don’t find hospice, hospice finds you!” This is the sentiment of all three of our guests from Compassionate Care Hospice. Linde Bors, Jona Payne and Tammie Yost are all Hospice Liaisons for Compassionate Care. And while they all have different life experiences that led them to hospice as a career, they all feel that hospice found them! Jona and Linde are native Georgians, while Tammie is a foreigner (from Alabama). They were drawn to Compassionate Care Hospice because this organization is dedicated to “creating and experience” for their patients and families. Specifically, they recommend that families not wait to start celebrating a loved one’s life, and planning for that loved one’s ultimate departure from life. Tammie noted that studies show that patients actually live longer, and their final days are more fulfilling if they take advantage of the benefits of hospice. One of Compassionate Care Hospice’s differentiators is the Cardiac Program. This program enables cardiac patients to stay in their homes longer, and receive certain services that may not be available in other hospice programs. To learn more about Compassionate Care Hospice, call them at 770-220-2723, or visit them on the web at www.cchnet.net.

Special thanks to Griswold Special Care, A Tradition in Home Care Excellence since 1982, for hosting today’s show!

Dan Bourland and John Cowan – Senior Real Estate Specialists, and Octavia Jones of Agape Hospice

February 17, 2011 by angishields

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Dan Bourland and John Cowan - Senior Real Estate Specialists, and Octavia Jones of Agape Hospice

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Dan Bourland and John Cowan are both Texans! Dan was born and raised in Lubbock, attended Texas Tech, and has lived in the Dallas area for 30 years. John is from Houston, graduating from the University of Houston Business school in 1973. Interestingly, both Dan and John had different careers before deciding to move into real estate. Dan started his career in the Office Products business, and John in the Wholesale Materials business. John had a second career in Outpatient Imaging. Today, Dan and John are Realtors with Coldwell Banker Apex Realty. Both have the designation “Senior Real Estate Specialist” (SRES). The SRES designation is a certification demonstrating that these two gentlemen have made a commitment to serve the unique requirements of seniors in real estate. In addition to the purchase/sale of real estate, Dan and John also provide seniors with other options, including leasing and reverse mortgages. Dan can be reached at (469) 878-6391, or via email at dan@danbourland.com. Visit him on the web at www.danbourland.com. John can be reachedc at (972) 231-0363, or via email at john.cowan@coldwellbanker.com. John’s website is www.jgowanproperties.com.

Growing up in St. Petersburg, Florida, Octavia Jones Samba got her first taste of serving seniors working at a skilled nursing community after school. She tells us how she helped a 90 year old patient when others didn’t know how to help. As a teenager, Octavia was already hooked on seniors! She went to nursing school in Florida, and came to Atlanta in 1983. Octavia first started working in hospice in 2005. After a brief time away from hospice, she was drawn back by Agape Hospice a little over a year ago when Agape served a member of her family. Today, Octavia is the Director of Business Development for Agape Hospice. She tells us that Agape’s difference is in their personal touch. Agape Hospice can be reached at (404) 763-1456. Chances are, however, Octavia will be in the field, so reach her on her mobile phone at (678) 557 7205. For the more technically inclined, she can be reached via email at jonesoctavia@bellsouth.net.

Special thanks to Griswold Special Care, A Tradition in Home Care Excellence since 1982, for hosting today’s show!

Cheryl Burney, Amity Care Hospice

February 11, 2011 by angishields

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Cheryl Burney, Amity Care Hospice

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Born and raised in New Jersey, Reverend Cheryl Burney arrived in Atlanta in 1974 (after 35 years, now a naturalized Southerner). Her first job in Atlanta was teaching ballroom dancing with Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Born and raised in the Catholic church, she was a canter for the church when she had an experience that changed her life. Consequently, she studied to become a minister with the International Centers for Spiritual Living in Atlanta. Cheryl also took a class to become a hospice volunteer, did that for a year, then worked in hypnotherapy for twenty years. When she began to look for other opportunities, one of her friends suggested looking at hospice again. Today, Cheryl is the Director of Complimentary Therapies andVolunteers at Amity Care Hospice. Cheryl is also the founder of Lifeworks, an organization that provides alternative healing therapies and grief counseling. Contact Cheryl at info@lifeworksinstitute.org, or visit the Lifeworks website at www.lifeworksinstitute.org. To find out more about Amity Care Hospice, or to volunteer, call Cheryl at (678) 402-5235, email her at cburney@amitycarehospice.com or visit their website at www.amitycarehospice.com.

Special thanks to Griswold Special Care, A Tradition in Home Care Excellence since 1982, for hosting today’s show!

Full House! Lynn Barbee, Sarah Senter, Duane Krueger and Eileen Nebhut

July 28, 2010 by angishields

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Full House! Lynn Barbee, Sarah Senter, Duane Krueger and Eileen Nebhut

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Who would have guessed that a midwest girl from El Dorado, Kansas would grow up to be… Ms. Texas Senior America in 2009?! Sarah Senter’s life was already full. She has been married 33 years, is the mother of 2 and grandmother of 3. She and her husband run a successful custom drapery business. She has been a performing tap dancer since she was 5. And in 2009, she entered the Ms. Texas Senior America pageant, and won! After a year of promoting the pageant, and it’s theme of redefining the senior woman as active and involved, she is getting ready to pass on her crown to Ms. Texas Senior America 2010. Be sure to catch this terrific event on Saturday, August 14 at 1 pm at the Dallas Doubletree Hotel. To schedule an event, or find out more about her custom drapery business, contact Ms. Senter the old fashioned way – pick up the phone and call her at (972) 617-8090.

Another Midwesterner, Duane Krueger grew up in a small town in central Illinois. After receiving a Bachelors Degree in Education from Eastern Illinois University, Duane began his career as a teacher and a guidance counselor. He later moved into educational sales in the corporate environment. About five years ago, Duane met a couple in his church that was offering reverse mortgages as a resource for seniors to access the equity in what is traditionally a couple’s largest asset, their home. Shortly thereafter, Duane switched careers, and has been offering this same resource to seniors in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro area ever since. Today, Duane is a reverse mortgage specialist with Next Generation Financial Services. He can be reached at (877) 539-4040, or via email at dkrueger@1stmarinerbank.com.

Eileen Nebhut grew up in Nashville. She attended Vanderbilt University, received her degree in Psychology, and never used it in her career! She started in the publishing business in New York City. Wanting to travel, and pursue a career in art, Eileen went to Christie’s in London to be educated further. She loved so much, she spent the next seven years working for Christie’s in London. Six years ago, Eileen moved to Atlanta, knowing maybe five people. Having a desire to combine her Design School training, her knowledge of interiors and exteriors into her own business, she conceived and launched NHabitation. NHabitation is a home management firm that offers everything from organizing and space planning to decorating, renovations and Aging in Place-specalized services. Find out more by calling Eileen directly at (404) 309-2152, email her at eileen@nhabitation.com, or visit her on the web at www.nhabitation.com.

Lynn Barbee originally thought she was going to be a broadcast journalist. An Atlanta native, she received her degree in Public Relations. Having been raised by her grandmother, during college Lynn became her grandmother’s caregiver. At that time, Lynn knew nothing about hospice, so she and her grandmother really walked that journey alone. Her career has run a course from senior-focused property management to assisted living and, finally, to hospice. Lynn currently works for Homestead Hospice, and absolutely loves her work because of the amazing resource she is able to provide for families. Lynn notes that hospice should not be thought of as hope abandoned, but rather as “hope redefined” – uniting families, encouraging conversations and preserving memories. Lynn also loves the fact that Homestead Hospice puts care of the patient and the family as paramount, and often goes above and beyond the call to service them. Contact Lynn at (877) 355-4472, or visit their website at www.homesteadhospice.net.