My Passion, My Journey...

     My passion began when I was 13 and went to spend the Summer with my Aunt in New York. To my surprise, she set me up with a volunteer position in the local nursing home's activity department. Naturally, as a 13 year old, I was not happy at the idea of working during my Summer vacation! However, I ended up loving it! This ended up being the very first Eden Alternative nursing home so I got to experience resident care being heavily integrated with plants, animals, meaningful activities, and intergenerational opportunities.  Since then, I’ve added over a decade of hands-on experience in long-term care, dementia care, healthcare, non-profit, and other work involving supporting elders.

     I'm blessed to have been influenced by my grandmother, Donna, being a part of my life. One thing that she left with me is her continued support. She would always say how proud she is of me and this gave me much encouragment for my goals. She lived close to the nursing home that I volunteered at and I would regularly visit her and tell her about my days volunteering there. 

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     Throughout my career, the experiences I’ve had in my education have given me an understanding of how elders age both physically and mentally and how to best support them with a variety of services.  I have an associate degree in Gerontology and a bachelor degree in Health Systems Management and Public Health.  Currently, I am a graduate student pursuing my Master of Science in Gerontology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Gerontology is a very holistic study of aging and how to work with older adults. With these degrees my entire focus has been on understanding the ways that we age, how to take charge of our aging, and how to support others who are aging.  Also, I have taken specialized yoga training for elders at Duke Integrative Medicine. My academic and professional experiences have given me a holistic understanding of aging.

     As a Certified Dementia Practitioner, with experience in helping people living with dementia to have a better quality of life, I can also help people living with dementia and their loved ones with much-needed relief and support.

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     As a disabled person, I understand what it's like to be in a caregiving relationship. It's been important to me to use the term care partners because care involves give and take from both the person more so giving care and the person more so recieving care. 

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     I am also a proud supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and hold a safe space for those who identify.