Nurses aide, Lil Conway and Volunteer, Gloria Varrasso, two of our wonderful staff members

Program Nurse

The Program Nurse oversees all of the clinical activities pertaining to the Abigail Adams Center.

The Program Nurse also conducts many of the group processes.

Any medical questions or concerns about your loved one should be directed to the Program Nurse.

• medication and wellness monitoring
• coordination of maintenance therapies
• supervision of personal care services
• nutritional monitoring
• liaison between the client and the Primary Care Physician or other healthcare practitioners.

Nurse's Aide

The Nurse's Aide is a vital position to the Center, as she is the person providing much of the "hands on" care of the client.

• assists clients with grooming, showering
• feeding or preparation of food (cutting, etc.) prior to the client's self-feeding
• cueing and assists clients with toileting
• guides participants throughout the day
• gently reminds participants of directions to and from program areas
• assists the Recreation Therapist with group activities.

The Nurse's Aide is a great resource to families concerning client's:

• non-verbal cues
• techniques of redirection that work well
• how well a client has done on a particular day.

Program Director The Program Director is responsible for the overall administration of the Center Julie Barcello, Program Director hiring/discharging and management of the staff compliance with regulatory bodies contracting with outside agencies Supervision of record keeping and book-keeping functions. She also serves as the admissions screener meeting with clients and families to evaluate the fit between program and participant. The Program Director, who is also a Dementia Specialist, also conducts or participates in many of the group processes and activities is available for one-on-one interaction with individuals as needed. Any comments or concerns of family members or caregivers should be directed to the Program Director.

Abigail Adams clients enjoying
weekly Friday Pokeno game.

Social Worker

Marsha Frankel, Social Worker, counsels a family member

The Program's Social Worker provides clients and families an opportunity to "process" or even grieve over the changes that have resulted from the Alzheimer's diagnosis.

Individual counseling of clients, particularly in the earlier stages, can help a person cope with the disease and alleviate some depression. The Social Worker also facilitates a regularly scheduled family support group for the Center.

Family members can access the Social Worker for private counseling.

The Social Worker "rounds out" the overall planning for each client's care by incorporating the all-important emotional aspects.