Image of male nurse pushing senior woman in a wheelchair in nursing facility

“In the next decade it does not appear that a cure for Alzheimer’s disease will be found. Therefore, my hope is that we will spend more time working on ways to help people live, not just exist, with Alzheimer’s disease. People with AD need to feel as if their lives still matter, that they can always be engaged in meaningful activities and with the help of hospice can have a peaceful, pain-free death.”

— Joyce Simard, Associate Professor, Western Sydney University, Land O’ Lakes, FL 

“The things I want to accomplish are relatively simple. I am 61 years old and manage one floor at Living Community of St. Joseph. I have 16 beds that are almost all filled with long-term care and another 16-bed wing that is for skilled patients.

I want to be able to work as long as possible in some capacity at Living Community. If God provides me with good health and strength, I will continue for as long as possible. I want to provide my long-term residents with loving care and treatment. 

I want to be able to spend more time with my family and friends. And I want to spend more time with my church family, learning more about my God and His teachings.

As I get older, I’ve come to realize how frail the human body and human nature can be. I want to serve as long as possible, whether through nursing, volunteering or serving the Lord in another way.”

— Joyce M. Allen, RN, Lower Level Unit Care Coordinator, Living Community of St. Joseph, St. Joseph, MO

“My goal is twofold. First, to increase the resources for caregivers and assist them to make plans for future responsibilities assisting their loved ones. Second, to educate the communities where persons with dementia live and get them more involved in opening up opportunities for persons with dementia to continue being involved in the community. I am spearheading an initiative in Swanton, OH, to create a Dementia Friendly Community.”

— Chris Cremean, LSW, Resource Specialist, Swanton Health Care & Retirement Center, Swanton, OH

“I hope that I will be continuing to help communities with population health, at a national or community level. At the end of the next decade, I will be close to retirement, and I hope to be living in Blue Ridge, GA.”

— Donna Cella, RN, MMH, Director, Population Health, Premier, Inc., Brentwood, TN

“What I’d like to see in the long-term care setting is a decentralized model-of-care delivery system. When you’re driving down to the unit level, I’d like to see daily rounding with the care team. It’s a vision where I don’t need Stop and Watch, but where we are living this. Right now, there’s not enough coordination of care. We need to elevate our knowledge and skill set through more research closer to the bedside that is quantitative.”

— Jolie Harris, Vice President of Clinical Services, CommCare Corporation, Mandeville, LA