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It’s been hot in Dallas!  No one is more acutely aware of that fact than Cheryl Acres, a native of Canada.  Though she’s been here for years, I’m sure she misses the cool crisp mornings (or even afternoons) of her northern home.  Cheryl went to school in Canada to be a nurse.  When there were no jobs available in Canada, she made a big move to the Big Easy.  A number of years later, she relocated to Dallas has been using her nurse’s training ever since.  Having worked as a nurse and case manager in both private healthcare and in the Medicare environment, Cheryl took the plunge about four years ago and went into private practice as a case manager for the elderly.  She is the President and Owner of Comprehensive Care Management, and is proud to be a Certified Case Manager.  While she is licensed to provide clinical advice and care, Cheryl tells us that she’s done almost anything that can be done for a client, including feeding the pets!  Cheryl can be reached at (972) 446-4789, or check out her website at www.txcasemanager.com.

Christine Truitt grew up with James Brown.  OK, no she didn’t, but she did grow up in his home town of Augusta, Georgia!  Christine went to school at Augusta Tech, then went across the river to University of South Carolina.  She started her career in a hospital, but moved to home health in the early 80’s.  She fell in love with the patients, with the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, and with the opportunity to “become a member of [her patients’] family.  Today Christine is Nurse and Clinical Account Executive for Gentiva Healthcare. She’s been providing services for patients at home for more than 20 years!  Though not brave enough to give out her cell phone number, you can contact Christine via email at christine.truitt@gentiva.com (she assures us she is an email junkie), or visit Gentiva’s website at www.gentiva.com.

Like so many of our guests, Ron Porter selected his profession based on a personal experience.  In his case, while he was attending the University of Tennessee, Ron’s father was in an accident.  Through the careful attention of a skilled physical therapist, Ron observed the benefits to his father first-hand.  After graduating from Tennessee, Ron attended Emory University, where he earned a graduate degree in Physical Therapy.  After a number of years working in facilities and homes, Ron turned his attention to a slightly different aspect of physical therapy.  Ron notes that many of the issues that physical therapy deals with are preventable.  Specifically, people come in many shapes and sizes, yet their living and working environments have a tendency to be “one size fits all”.  Today Ron is the Director of Back School of Atlanta.   Back School of Atlanta is dedicated to applying ergonomics principles and total wellness as a means to good health, injury prevention and increased productivity on the job and at home.  According to Ron, this can be as simple as improving lighting, using an appropriate chair or adding steps or a ladder to reach cabinets that would otherwise be reached by standing on a chair or other unstable item.  Ron can be reached at 1-800-783-7536, or visit the website at www.backschoolofatlanta.com.

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An Atlanta native, Raquel Bustos started her career in administration and corporate meeting planning.  Though she was good at it, this was clearly not her life’s work.  As she looked to do something that had a more significant impact on people, she landed a job as an Activities Director at a local assisted living.   Music played a big role in Raquel’s childhood, so it was only natural that she brought music to her work as an Activities Director.  She liked singing so much, she decided to perform on a broader scale.  Today she performs in more than 75 senior centers, assisted and independent living facilities.  While she loves to perform, even more, she loves to take her audience on a trip down memory lane, getting the audience to perform with her.  Raquel can be reached at (404) 444-6335, or via email at raquelbustos@bellsouth.net.

Bo Levine’s father was conscripted to the army of Czar Nicolas II in the early 1900’s.  Unwilling to participiate, her father, Jacob, fled to China.  After working ten years to earn enough money, he went back to Russia to bring out his soon-to-be bride.  That is how Bo became the product of the British Public School in Shanghai, China.  After graduating high school, she attended St. Johns University, and then emigrated to the US through San Francisco, then moving to Eastman, Georgia, where her uncle lived.  She then went on to the University of Georgia and received her degree in Journalism.  She was married, and raised three children.  Bo has outlived three husbands, telling us the name of her next husband will be “No Mo'”.  A number of years ago she wrote a diary over the course of two years as she cared for her late husband, Nate Levine.  This got her creative juices flowing, and she is now using her Journalism major as a columnist for The Jewish Georgian.  To see one of her columns, check them out on the web at www.jewishgeorgian.com.

A native Georgian, Ruth Matthews grew up in Macon, and stayed there to attend Mercer University.  She graduated in 1980, and began her career with the Georgia Radio Reading Service.  It as there that she fell in love with helping people for a living.  She later worked for the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, another passion for Ruth.  A number of years ago a friend recruited Ruth to work in a senior community.  For the past six years, Ruth has worked as the Director of Community Relations for the Renaissance on Peachtree, an independent and assisted living community at 3755 Peachtree Road in Atlanta.  Ruth tells us one of the unique features of the Renaissance is its team of dedicated drivers that escorts residents “in style” in Town Cars and Limos, rather than buses!  To contact Ruth or arrange a tour, call the Renaissance at (404) 841-6161, or visit their website at www.renaissanceonpeachtree.com.