About Us
Through ACA Nancy offers cutting-edge services to investors-developers, architects and designers, existing and start-up providers, proprietary companies and nonprofits, individual private facility owners and family owned and operated communities, multi-facility companies and national corporate entities.
About
Nancy’s Story
Nancy is a professional gerontologist, who is passionate about her field. She received her Masters degree in Gerontology in 1994, magna cum lade, from San Diego State University, with honors where she was the first graduate in the Special Master’s Interdisciplinary Program offered in Gerontology. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology; with a gerontology concentration, cum lade, in 1986 in North Carolina.
Nancy has been involved for over 30 years in the field of senior housing and long-term care. She is a principal in the consulting firm, Alzheimer’s Care Associates LLC. The firm assists Senior Housing providers and operators in the creation and implementation of memory support communities for persons with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, within assisted living settings. Prior to forming her consulting firm in 1996 Nancy worked in various roles within the long term care continuum including residential care, assisted living, skilled nursing, rehabilitation and adult day programs. Nancy has a vast array of experience in both the private and non-profit spectrum of senior services, including research; recognition and development of the first dementia care communities in California in 1989. Her work has brought her recognition as a speaker, and achievement awards with the Alzheimer’s Association and various senior service agencies.
In addition to her consulting business Nancy served as the CA program forum consultant to the Alzheimer’s Association chapters of California, for 15 years and is a professor at Sacramento State University, within the Gerontology Department since 2000. She is the Vice President of Sigma Phi Omega, the Gerontology honors society, Sacramento chapter. She is also the co-founder of the Connected Horse ( est. 2015) a non profit organization, serving people affected by a dementia diagnosis. Connected Horse recently completed a 4 year research study with Stanford University, Medical School and University of CA at Davis, Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and the school of Veterinary Medicine and the Center for Equine Health. The evidence based research formed the foundation for a program intervention for all those affected by a dementia diagnosis.
As a current board member of the statewide California Assisted Living Association (CALA), Nancy is the co chair of the education committee and works diligently to improve the education of providers and the care of older adults living in supportive housing settings. She is also a Board member of the California Person Centered Care Coalition a past board member of the Del Oro Caregivers Resource Center and an active volunteer in the Northern California Alzheimer’s Association chapter. Nancy resides outside of Sacramento with her husband and two daughters.
Team
Our Team
Depending on clients’ needs and the nature of the project, ACA will organize and coordinate a team of talented consultants whose background and expertise covers the full range of operations and support for senior housing and long-term care. Among the consultants are:
Kimberlee Alsup
Over the last 20 years, Kimberlee’s passion for meaningful connections with those living with dementia has taken her on a journey with many facets. Stepping into memory care as a classically trained chef has given her the ability to create exceptional dining programs focusing on personal taste and exciting flavors. Honing her skills through menu designs, this led to a role in marketing her techniques through her first book, Table for Two, Dining with Dementia.
Chef and author transitioned into training memory care teams to embrace the vision of person-centered dining. Kimberlee has excelled at operating dementia care communities, facilitating support groups and speaking to audiences about successful dining for those living with dementia.
Currently, Kimberlee is involved in the farm-to-fork movement with her husband Dave, their organically raised Angus cattle, heritage breed pasture raised chickens, and organic vegetable farming.
Through her experience with fresh and flavorful foods, simply prepared, she is building a brain healthy cooking program that offers nutritional benefits for those with memory impairment.
Brittnie Johnson
Brittnie has been serving seniors since 2008, after graduating from the University of California Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Brittnie began to work with those living with Alzheimer’s and other Dementias in an Adult Day Health Care setting. Since then she has developed dementia-based programs and operated memory care environments in Skilled Nursing Facilities as well as Assisted Living.
Throughout her career, Brittnie has been results driven while creating and implementing person centered programs in assisted living communities.. She has developed, piloted, and implemented successful brain fitness programs, memory care programs, and life engagement activity programs for Independent, Assisted, and Memory Care environments. Brittnie has a strong passion for training and teaching others unique ways to create meaningful interactions and opportunities for those living with dementia and their families. Her field experience coupled with her operational and management experience offers a well-rounded approach to creating dynamic and stimulating programs that work in real life situations and in various senior care environments. Brittnie lives in Northern California with her husband and four children.
Mary Eaton Campbell
As a licensed vocational nurse for over 25 years, Mary has been involved in multiple aspects of hands on nursing, including acute care nursing, management of an urgent care center, and physician liaison in medical/legal consulting. But her real passion was ignited when she entered the assisted living arena in 1995 as part of a start up team in a privately owned community with a large memory care neighborhood in the greater Sacramento area. With many years invested as an RCFE administrator, Mary moved on to work with a large non-profit in a multi-service retirement village with a 42 acre campus. During those years, Mary served on the board of the Del Oro Resource Center, taught continuing education for other administrators, nurses, and other industry professionals. Her greatest reward is equipping and empowering staff as they grow in their roles in serving older adults. She and her husband Rich enjoy boating on the Delta with their two dogs and exploring the local foothills on the back of their motorcycle.
Pam McDonald
Pam has been writing for and about the senior living industry for over two decades – including blogs, ads, collateral, press releases, website text, speeches, video and radio scripts, direct mail, and, essentially, every form of communication.
She started her career in public relations for a major San Francisco bank, went back to college and studied journalism, and then directed public relations for a Bay Area hospital.
Pam received her introduction to aging policy in Washington, D.C. in the mid-80s as Public Policy Communications Coordinator for LeadingAge, the trade association representing nonprofit providers of housing and services to seniors. Upon returning to California she began offering senior living providers writing and marketing communications services through her firm, Odd Jobs Ink.
Currently she is editor/writer for Senior Housing Forum, a blog to enable great senior living operators and professional to perform even better. She also is publisher of BoomersLifelongHome.com. Pam is extremely pleased to offer writing and marketing consulting to Nancy Schier Anzelmo and Alzheimer’s Care Associates.