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Julie Rehder is the Marketing & Community Relations Administrator and Angie Barr is the Health Care Center Administrator.

About the Davis Community:

The Health Care Center at The Davis Community welcomed its first residents in 1966 and has continued to grow in size and scope largely due to the seamless passing of the vision to the board of directors and Davis employees. In 2000, Champions Assisted Living was completed, adding another level of support services and paving the way to a more homelike environment and culture.

In 2010, the Rehabilitation and Wellness Pavilion was added to provide seniors with a state-of-the-art fitness center, outpatient therapies and short-term inpatient care. Today 50 private guest rooms are reserved for persons needing short-term rehabilitation for such conditions as knee and hip replacements or other health needs following a hospital stay.

Following a year-long strategic planning session involving the Board of Directors, residents, family members, staff, visitors, neighbors, vendors, and friends a plan was developed to change The Health Care Center from a medical model of care to a household model of care. The vision is based on the belief that seniors in long-term care deserve privacy and choice in their lives rather than living in a hospital-like environment. The decision was made to completely renovate the existing Health Care Center into ten households where residents and staff operate as a family unit. The $26 million construction project began in 2012 and two freestanding houses opened in July of 2013. The first two households in the renovated section of The Health Care Center open in April 2014 with newly renovated homes approximately every ten months until completion in 2016.

The Davis Community on Facebook

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Jason’s first position at Lower Cape Fear Hospice & LifeCareCenter was as Volunteer Program Manager in 2002.  For two years, he managed the recruitment, training, supervision, and recognition of the agency’s 500+ active volunteers.  Then in 2004, Jason moved into the position of Director of Community Outreach, which is what he does today.  He is in charge of the agency’s involvement in the community…speaking engagements, community education, health fairs, Chambers of Commerce, United Way, as well as continued supervision of the Volunteer Department. Hospice has been wonderful to Jason and he is passionate about educating people about their special kind of caring as well as other end of life issues, including Begin the Conversation, the agency’s public awareness initiative to encourage people to practice advance care planning.

Connect with Begin the Conversation on Twitter and Facebook

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Melannie Pate- Alzheimers North Carolina

Melannie Pate is the Program and Services Director for Alzheimers North Carolina in the Wilmington office.  She received her Master of Science in Gerontology from UNCW and is a doctoral candidate in Health Services Research at UNCC.  She specializes in Alzheimers and related dementias research, family programming and counseling, and education.  She has been published in gerontological journals and has presented her research at national scientific conferences.

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James M. Fish, B.A., M.M.H.C.A- Brunswick Seniors Resources Inc.

Jim Fish is the President/CEO of Brunswick Senior Resources Inc. Since 1993, Jim has worked with human service organizations. Jim began his professional career as a court and medical interpreter after performing missionary service in Port-au-Prince Haiti. The experience of working with the people of Haiti allowed him to gain fluency in Haitian Creole and French.   As an interpreter he was able to work with non-profit organizations, government agencies, advocates, community leaders, social workers, medical professionals, and volunteer groups in the Boston area.

Jim went on to work as a health care administrator at Boston Medical Center for 8 years and managed 2 departments with over 100 employees. Following graduate school, Jim worked as the Director of Operations for Dental Growth Partners and was responsible for procurement of oral surgical, endodontic, periodontal, and general dental practices.Since moving to Brunswick County in 2007, he has been involved with the community and sits on the Board of Directors for the Waccamaw Athletic Association, Calabash EMS, and is a Committee Member for Scout Troop 731 in Shallotte.

Jim earned his BA in Management from Eastern Nazarene College in Boston Massachusetts, and a Masters in Health Care Administration from Cambridge College in Cambridge Massachusetts.Jim is originally from Forsyth County Georgia where he grew up in a large family as the eldest of 7 children. He is currently married and has 4 children who attend Waccamaw School and West Brunswick High School.  He and his family live on a tree farm in Ash, North Carolina.

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Susan Silver- Aging In Place Downtown

Susan Silver spent most of her professional career in Washington, DC where she was Executive Director of a number of health and social service organizations including hospice, a women’s health center, and a University Medical Center’s Center for Integrative Medicine.  Her academic background is in Health Services Administration and Medical Ethics.  After moving to Wilmington about four years ago, she began development of Aging in Place Downtown on a pro bono basis.

Joan Keston- J.A. Keston Law, PLLC

Joan Keston is an attorney with over 30 years of experience.  Her practice areas are Elder Law, Estate Planning and Asset Protection. Joan began her career in business, corporate and international law.  However, going through so many difficult issues with her late husband, parents, grandparents and aunt for long periods of time, Joan decided to apply her life experience and legal and business experience to help and counsel other people dealing with the difficult issues and decisions they face for themselves and their loved ones.

Her firm helps with your “Life Care Planning,” an integration of the legal areas that address long-term care needs, estate planning, asset protection and quality of life choices.  By understanding your unique situation, they can help you achieve your goals and objectives for your life and your family’s well being.

On Thursday, February 6 at 11:30am, join host Tom Pechar for the inaugural episode of Cape Fear Seniors, a show focusing on a wide range of issues faced by seniors in the Cape Fear Region. Every week, we bring insight to topics that impact those in our region, including availability and breadth of government services, veterans issues, elder law, health care, lifestyle – and even fun events in which seniors can participate.