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Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Janice Walker attended Purdue University and became a registered nurse.  She has been an RN for 25 years, focusing on mental health, and becoming a “Traveler”, going from hospital to hospital, state to state providing her unique services.  Recently, Janice formed a company called Emotions to very deliberately enhance the physical, mental and spiritual health of seniors in the face of life’s challenges.  Her company provides seminars, programs, workshops and motivational speaking events as a resource for the education and development of seniors and their families.  Janice tells us that her work is also her passion and her ministry.  Janice can be reached at emotionsjw@yahoo.com.  

Like so many of our guests, Christiana Sonuga became interested in working with senior adults as a volunteer.  In her case, she started volunteering at a hospice in Southeast Georgia when she was 15 years old.  Christiana went on to get both undergraduate and graduate degrees in social work from the University of Georgia.  Immediately after graduating, she took a job at an Athens-area homeless shelter.  In Christiana’s words, “it was one the of best jobs I’ve ever had!”  After a two year stint as a social worker at Lifecare of Lawrenceville, she now works as a medical social worker in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Center at Emory University Hospital.  Christiana can be reached at 404-712-4367, or visit Emory’s website at www.emoryhealthcare.org. 

Rounding out today’s line-up, Jerry Gentry is Chaplain for Crossroads Hospice.  Early in his tenure at Crossroads, Jerry volunteered to be on the Ethics Committee.  He was quickly assigned the position of Chairman of that committee (careful what you ask for!)  Jerry was raised in Clinton, Mississippi, attending school there all the way through college.  He then went on to seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, ultimately receiving both a Master of Divinity and a PhD in Ethics.  Jerry moved to Atlanta after seminary. He worked as a freelance writer for 11 years,  publishing a book about Grady Hospital called “Grady Baby – A Year in the Life of Atlanta’s Grady Hospital.”  Having worked part-time as a hospital chaplain in seminary, Jerry took a year at Atlanta Medical Center to learn the role more thoroughly, then took a position at Crossroads Hospice.  Jerry can be reached at (770) 270-9898, or visit their website at www.crossroadshospice.com.

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Renee Sevy is the Patient Navigator for the new Prostate Cancer Center at St. Josephs Hospital.  Originally from Detroit, Renee came to Atlanta 25 years ago, and attended Georgia State University to get a degree in social work.  Having worked for St. Joseph’s for 8 years, six in the cancer support center, she is very excited about the opportunity to participate in the creation of the new center.  Renee is also active with the Men’s Health and Wellness Center, a non-profit organization created to educate and support better health practices among men and their partners by promoting lifestyle practices that lead to disease prevention, healing, and healthy living.  She recently stepped down as executive director of this organization in order to focus her activity on the Prostate Cancer Center.  Renee can be reached at 678-843-5665, or visit the Center’s website at www.gaprostate.org. .

Our next guest is concerned about the financial strain that can be placed on older individuals as life expectancies increase and economic pressures close in.  Having seen it in his own family, Tommy Whitley, of Great Oak Mortgage, is committed to educating older adults about the financial options available for staying in their own homes.  Tommy is the Division Director for Reverse Mortgages at Great Oak.  Though they have been around since the early 1990s, reverse mortgages have really only begun to become popular in the past five years.  And while not right for everybody, they provide an interesting alternative to a traditional loan or line of credit.  Tommy can be reached at 678-517-3353, or visit his website at www.greatoakmtg.com.  

Wrapping up today’s line-up is Jill Butler, Director of Sales and Marketing for Chambrel of Roswell.  Jill has known since age 15 that she wanted to work with seniors, when she began working in a continuing care retirement center in her native Charlotte, North Carolina.  She went on to  pursue a recreation degree in geriatrics in college.  When her husband was transferred to Atlanta, Jill found Chambrel.  Chambrel is an independent living center situated on an idyllic 35 acre campus that was formerly an apple orchard.  Jill tells us that one of the features of Chambrel is their Optimum Life Program that inspires wellness.  Call Jill at 770-594-4600 to arrange a tour, or visit their website at www.brookdaleliving.com.

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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.

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According to Lisa Meeks, owner of Senior Care Options, a geriatric care manager is a cross between a case worker and a daughter.  Beginning her career as a recreational therapist, Lisa watched her mother start a care management business in Chicago.  Nine years ago, she decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps when she opened Senior Care Options.  Lisa’s firm takes a team approach to each client.  This brings a wealth of experience to bear, including the skills of social worker, nurse and professional counselor.  To find out more about Lisa’s proactive, problem-solving approach, contact her at 770-579-9177, or visit her website at www.seniorcareopt.com. 

 Essy Freed is a clinical hypnotherapist for the Hypnosis Center of Dunwoody.  Always interested in how the brain works, Essy read an article about hypnosis while she was in school.  She’s been practicing now for 25 years.  In addition to her work as a hypnotherapist, Essy is also a licensed clinical social worker, and has worked in hospice.  Essy suggests that each of us goes in and out of hypnosis every day, and that hypnosis is nothing more than a state of suggestibility that allows us to tap the 88% of our mind that is used on the subconscious level.  Essy can be reached at 770-390-0444, or on the web at www.hypnosisdunwoody.com. 

Today’s final guest is a licensed acupuncturist for the ASA Acupuncture & Wellness Center in Suwanee.  Toni Idiaquez started her career in the military.  During this time, Toni sustained a knee injury that kept her from running or completing a physical.  Though an MRI showed no observable tears, the injury refused to heal.  Desperate, Toni sought alternative to traditional medicine.  After only eight accupuncture treatments, Toni was able to walk and run without pain.  Consequently, she went back to school, obtaining an MS in Oriental Medicine and began sharing her discovery with others.  Toni can be reached at (770) 313-0106, or via email at toni@galandfinders.com.

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