Easter Seals Western Pennsylvania Professional Biography Susan M. Nirschel has beenthe Director of Adult and Senior Services for Easter Seals Western Pennsylvania (ESWPA) since 2001. She has been serving the Adult Day Service community since 1996. Nationally, Easter Seals is the largest non-profit provider of Adult Day Services, serving older adults and adults with disabilities, their caregivers, and families. Easter Seals Western Pennsylvania has three medical adult day service programs in Allegheny and
Under Susan's leadership, Centers for Medicare choose ESWPA to participate in the "Medical Adult Day Care Demonstration Project." She is a presenter for several Easter Seals programs to support and aid caregivers, including Transportation Solutions for Caregivers and Elder Care in the Workplace. Susan is a registered nurse with a Baccalaureate degree from the
Elderwatch Plus Adult Day Services Program Professional Biography Judi Ahram RPT is a licensed physical therapist with 35 years of experience primarily in geriatrics. Ten years ago she founded ElderWatch Plus Adult Day Services, and serves as the Director of the Center. Most recently, Judi is working on a grant project, the P.L.U.S. Club, a special program within her center designed for people with early onset or early stage dementia (www.elderwatchpluspa.org). Judi is also the President of the SEPA Alliance of Adult Day Services. She lives outside Philadelphia, and has three grown children. Judi is certified in First Aid, CPR, medication administration and she is a Dementia Management Specialist. Diakon Adult Day Services at Manatawny Professional Biography Georgine (Gina) Cooke is Director of the Diakon Adult Day Services at Manatawny in Pottstown, Pennsylvania and is responsible for overall operations of the Adult Day Services Program. Prior to entering the field of adult day services, she served as Director of Nursing at Beverly Manor Nursing Center in Reading for three years. Gina has worked in the field of geriatrics for more than thirty years. She is a graduate of St. Josephs Hospital School of Nursing and received the Diakon Leadership Award in 2006. Gina is no stranger to PADSA, having served on the Board of Directors in various offices for 10 years. Gina returned to the PADSA Board to fill the position of Secretary in 2008. Family Matters Adult Day Center Professional Biography For the past ten years, Russ has been co-owner and administrator for Family Matters Adult Day Center in Clifton Heights, Delaware County. He is currently a Board Member and Past Financial Secretary and Past President of the Clifton Heights Business Association. He is also a Board Member of the Clifton Heights Community and Economic Development Corporation. He is a 15-year member of the Malvern Retreat League. Eastern Vice President Senior Care Centers of America Professional Biography Leslie Gilman is currently the Pennsylvania Director of Operations for Senior Care Centers of America. She oversees five Adult Day Health Centers in the SE PA region. Leslie has started up several facilities including an Adult Day Center in Chestnut Hill in 1994. She has over 25 years of health care management experience including hospital, long-term care and adult day, and is also a Pennsylvania-licensed nursing home administrator. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the SEPA Alliance of Adult Day Centers, the Long Term Care Advisory Committee of the Philadelphia Corporation of Aging, and the Social Services Advisory Committee of Center in the Park Senior Center. She received her BS in Psychology in 1977 and her MBA in Health Administration in 1980, both from Temple University. Leslie resides with her family just outside Philadelphia. Western Vice President Sarah Adult Day Services Professional Biography Beverly has 20 years experience working with adults and older adults, adult day facilities, nursing homes, in-patient and out-patient psychiatric units with patients diagnosed with such disorders as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, mental retardation, autism, bipolar, depression, schizophrenia, and various dual-diagnoses. She is a teacher of adult education, acrtive with wellness groups, and a community speaker and trainer. She is a member of the American Art Therapy Association; National Adult Day Services Association; PA Adult Day Services Association; Southwestern Pennsylvania Partnership for Aging (SWPPA); Womens Business Network, and McKeesport SHIP: Elder Logic Model. She received her Barchelor of Arts from Seton Hill University and her Master of Arts in Counseling and Art Therapy from Ursuline College. Telespond Senior Services, Inc. Mary O'Donnell has been employed by Telespond Senior Services, Inc., Scranton, PA for 19 years. She is the Adult Day / Respite Services Director for Community Day Services, Director of the Abington Senior Center, and Director of Telespond's In-Home Attendant and Homemaker programs. Mary is a graduate of LeMoyne College, Syracuse, NY, with graduate studies at SUNY Cortland. She has served as the NE Representative and NE Member at Large for PADSA, and is a member of the Prime Time Health Task Force for Lackawanna County, Lackawanna County's Coalition on Aging, the Senior Networking Alliance, and the PA Association of Senior Centers. Southeast Board Member at Large Senior Care Centers of America Jim is the CEO, and also sits on the Board of Directors, for Senior Care Centers of America, an organization which owns and operates approximately 25 adult day health centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Mississippi, and is one of the largest providers of adult day health services in the United States. Jim has been with Senior Care since 1995 and is responsible for the overall strategic direction and operations of the company, as well as spearheading the business development and public policy initiatives to further the company's mission. Prior to joining Senior Care, Jim was the Director of Finance and Administration for a biotechnology company where he oversaw all of the financial and administrative functions of the company. He also worked for a number of years at the international accounting and consulting firm of Ernst & Young where he was a manager in the auditing department. In addition to his Board responsibilities at PADSA, Jim is also the President of the New Jersey Adult Day Services Association (NJADSA), which is a sister organization to PADSA, is an Advisory Board Member of the New Jersey Medicaid Long Term Care Council, and is very involved at the various state levels with elder care and adult day health services policy issues. Jim received his Bachelors of Business Administration from Temple Univerisity in 1985 and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1987. Jim resides in Bucks County, PA. Central Board Member at Large Southwest Board Member at Large Heather Sedlacko is the Executive Director of Valley Care Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting older adults in western Allegheny and Beaver counties through adult day services and a home safety program. She has a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and a Minor in Gerontology from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College. She has spent her career to date helping older adults through her work in social services, education, public policy, and coalition building. Heather is particularly interested in helping older adults continue to live in their homes, culture change, and using data to support good decision making in the non-profit sector. Northwest Board Member at Large
Northeast Regional Representative Southeast Regional Representative
Pam Barton has spent over 20 years in the field of aging supporting and educating family caregivers. Her primary area of expertise is Alzheimer's disease and dementia management. A former family support group facilitator and coordinator for the Alzheimer's Association, Pam has helped families simplify the complexities of managing memory loss to create success in caregiving. Pam also co-created an early stage Alzheime's disease dual support group and education series to support people with early stage AD and their care partners. Pam has presented to many family caregivers and professional including the American Society of Aging conferences, NJ Statewide Conference on Alzheimer's disease for Healthcare Professionals and the Pennsylvania Adult Day Services Association conference for providers. She has co-published Successful Support Groups for African American Caregivers, Generations, Winter 2003-2004. She holds a BS in Gerontology from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Pam currently is the Director of the Main Line Adult Day Center serving older adults who need support and supervision during the day. Pam lives in Drexel Hill with her husband and three sons. Central Regional Representative Professional Biography Vicki currently serves as ElderDay Director at Menno Haven, Inc. in Chambersburg, PA. Her work there began in 1986 when she started as a nurse. She moved to position of director, overseeing the daily operation of ElderDay, in 1988. She sits on several committees and boards including Safety Committee at Menno Haven, Nurturing the Spirit with Life, Practical Nursing Board, and Franklin County Transportation Board, and also serves as Parish Nurse for St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. During the past 20 years Vicki has seen many changes in the adult day programs across the state. She is committed to serving the elderly and their caregivers in Pennsylvania. She has been on the PADSA board for over 10 years total, serving as Central Regional Representative, Central Region Member at Large, and Newsletter Editor. Southwest Regional Representative Woodside Place of Oakmont Ransom is the Senior Director of Community Services for Presbyterian SeniorCare, one of the largest providers of senior services in Southwestern PA. In this position Ransom is developing adult day care, private duty home care and in-home technology programs. Ransom has nearly 20 years experience in health care as President and CEO of The Community at Holy Family Manor, Regional Vice President for Chamberlin Edmonds and Executive Director of Community LIFE. Ransom has served on local and national Board of Directors and committees. Ransom has an MBA and an MHA from the University of Pittsburgh. Adult Care of Chester County Professional Biography Patricia Shull received her nursing education at Germantown Medical Center and graduated from Eastern University with her BA in Health Administration. She has more than 26 years experience in the field of Adult Day Services including development and administration of Adult Care of Chester County. Almost from the beginning, Pat has been involved in the field outside of the center. She has served as Regional Representative at the state and national levels, as President of the Pennsylvania Adult Day Services Association, and as Chair of the National Adult Day Services Association. She also served on the Board of Directors of the National Council on the Aging. She recently concluded 8 years of service on the Board of Trustees of CARF, the Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission. Pat returned to the PADSA Board in 2006 to serve as President. She has presented at many state, regional and national conferences. Adult Care of Chester County was selected as a Model site by the Partners In Caregiving project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and she was a mentor and consultant.
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