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Eugeria

Month: February 2012

Don Johnson, of Brentwood Hospice, and Vicka Brown of Woodstock Nursing & Rehabilitation

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Don Johnson’s path to his position at Brentwood Hospice as the Spiritual Care Coordinator has been an eclectic one. After beginning his training for the Priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church, he switched directions.  He became a Methodist Minister,  pastoring five different United Methodist Churches.  Though he loved  being a pastor, Don felt a call to work in an area that was more intimate.  In addition to working the streets of Dallas’ inner city, he also started working with the terminally ill.  Today, Don works to provide pastoral care to those dealing with imminently terminal illnesses. If you would like to contact Don or Brentwood hospice, call 877-388-2304 or visit www.brentwoodhospice.com.

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Vicka Brown was destined to work with Seniors from an early age.  Her mother worked in healthcare with Seniors, and Vicka worked along side her as a youth.  In 1998, Vicka moved to Atlanta, and found a job with Cypress Health Group, a premier post-acute care and senior housing management company.  Though she went on hiatus twice, she kept coming back to Cypress.  Though she has held a number of positions during her tenure with Cypress, today she is the Director of Public Relations at Woodstock Nursing & Rehabilitation, and adores her job.  She is thrilled with the very capable staff, and loves the interaction she has with both current and prospective residents.

Vicka tells us that Woodstock Nursing & Rehabilitation is a family-oriented community in the heart of downtown Woodstock.  They pride themselves on serving families in a friendly and open environment, maintaining relationships with families over a period of years.  Stop by for a tour at 105 Arnold Mill Road in Woodstock.  Or visit them on the web at www.cypresshealthgroup.com, or call them at 770-926-0016.

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

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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 21st, 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.

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.

Chris Brand, CEO of FODAC and Kevin Reitz, new owner of Griswold Special Care in Dallas

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Growing up in the great state of Idaho, Kevin Reitz was a Boise State Bronco fan before it was fashionable to be a fan.  Does that make him a hipster?  After graduating from Boise State, Kevin took a position in the Enterprise Car Rental Management Training program.  He later had an opportunity with a small software company selling crime scene and accident reconstruction software (yes, it really exists and no, I’m no making it up).  As the company launched an initiative into the private sector, Kevin was asked to relocate to the Dallas area.  About three years ago, he became aware of a sales position with a local assisted living facility.  After only 8 months, Kevin was asked to take on the Executive Director’s role at a sister community.  During this time, Kevin realized that the senior services market offered another dimension of meaning to his career.

About a year and a half ago, Kevin moved again for the opportunity to work at Griswold Special Care, a non-medical homecare provider serving the Dallas metro area.  Kevin and his wife, Shelley, recently became the owners of the Dallas North Office of Griswold Special Care.  Kevin tells us he and Shelley had often talked and dreamed of owning their own business, and now that dream has become a reality.  Griswold Special Care’s unique differentiator is its ability to focus on both high quality and affordability at the same time.  Kevin is proud of the fact that his service is several dollars per hour lower than most competitors, and at the same time, the caregivers make 10-15% more than their peers at other agencies.  To find out more, contact Kevin directly at (972) 554-0700, email him at Kevin@gscdallas.com, or visit his website at www.gscdallas.com.

A rare Atlanta native, Chris Brand has been involved in helping disabled adults and seniors for as long as he can remember.  As a young man, he had a friend of the family whose son suffered from Muscular Dystrophy.  He watched the family’s struggles until the son died at the age of 19.  This gave him a first-hand look at how difficult it can be for a family to deal with the disability of a loved one, particularly with respect to independence and mobility issues.

Interestingly, Chris began early in his career by volunteering for Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC).  He was quickly hired by the founder of the organization, and spent three years as their donations coordinator.  Moving on to broaden his experience, Chris left FODAC for a few years.  In 1999, he returned as a program manager.  He has been there ever since, and is now the President and CEO of the organization.

FODAC was founded in 1986 to assist families of disabled adults and children in accessing both equipment and services to facilitate accessibility and independence.  FODAC fills 3,600 requests, distributing over 5,000 items each year from its 65,000 square foot facility in Stone Mountain.  The retail value of all medical equipment that has been given away now totals over $60 million!  To find out more about FODAC, or learn about volunteer opportunities, call them at (770) 491-9014, or visit their website at www.fodac.org.

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.

Senior Services North Fulton – Annual Gala; John McNair with an Update on Elder Law Issues

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Carrie Bellware has spent a good bit of her career working for non-profit organizations.  Shortly after moving to Atlanta in 1996, she began working with Jewish Family Services on a part time basis.  After ten years with Jewish Family Services, she took a quick hiatus away from Atlanta.  After a few short years away, she moved back to the Atlanta area, and accepted the position of Executive Director with Senior Services North Fulton (SSNF), where she’s loved her job for the last 18 months!  SSNF is a non-profit organization providing Meals on Wheels, medical transportation, senior centers and a staff of in-home care managers.

Joining Carrie this morning is SSNF board member, and returning guest, Sue Sharpe, Owner of Mobility Express.  Carrie and Sue particularly wanted to highlight SSNF’s upcoming event, Art from the Heart, their annual fundraising gala being held at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek on February 11 at 7PM.  They tell us this is a “Don’t Miss” event with dinner, music, dancing and a silent auction.  For more information, please visit their website at www.ssnorthfulton.org, or call them at (770) 993-1906.

Originally from Jonesboro, Arkansas, John McNair graduated from law school at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.  Wanting to further his education, John came to Dallas to attend Southern Methodist University, ultimately received a Master of Tax Law degree.  He began his private practice in 1983, and spent the first decade on estate planning, probate and taxation.  Today, John is a Partner in the firm Barnett, McNair, Hall LLP.  Over the past fifteen years, John has been thrilled to see his practice start to gravitate towards Elder Law.  He takes particular satisfaction in being able to help seniors find funds to pay for their long term care, and in helping them preserve the estates they have worked so hard to build.  Contact John via email at jmcnair@barnettmcnair.com, or via phone at (214) 691-7781.  You can also visit his website at www.mcnair.elderlawanswers.com.

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.