A Bit About Me
Who do you connect with? The answer for me... older adults. I believe the connection started with my Great Grandmother Grace. We were pen pals for 26 years. I also remember Nellie, who was 102 years old. I met her when I was in high school and volunteered at a nursing home. I remember being fascinated with her.102 years of life and stories. I felt honored she was sharing her wisdom with me as if I was in a secret club learning the secret to life from an expert... herself.
I am fascinated by the lines on our hands as we age. Our wrinkles and lines tell our journey through this human experience of life. I also think gray hair is beautiful... which I call 'silver comets'.
During my masters program a professor called me 'The Gerontology Lady'. This set forth a precedent where my passion for working in the realm of aging has led to many amazing opportunities. When I entered my masters program I knew I wanted to work with older adults. It was in this first semester when I attended a presentation on the brain. This was the first time I heard two words, Alzheimer's disease. Definitely not the two words anyone wants to hear, but these two words sets a fire within me. This was the moment I became fascinated by something so powerful. My passion was solidified- working with older adults and specializing in dementia. I became self taught through reading and seminars. I would attend conferences on my own through the Georgia Gerontology Society and Gerontological Society of America. Then a huge blessing came when I had to study a speciality area during my doctoral program at Mercer University. I obtained a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology from Georgia State.
From this point on there are too many high points to count... interviewing individuals living in the early-stages of Alzheimer's disease for my dissertation, achieving a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Mercer, designing and teaching Georgia State's first undergraduate course in dementia, teaching courses in aging, traveling with the Alzheimer's Association to Washington, DC, hosting a radio show called Caring for Aging Parents, presenting at a Neurology Conference in the Ukraine.
The highlight will always be meeting and counseling individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and the loved ones who support them. Especially emotional, being part of the journey with an individual and their spouse while they were one of the first recipient's of one of the new FDA-approved Alzheimer's drugs that slows the progression of the disease. As a therapist I try and keep my emotions in check, however I wouldn't be human if I didn't admit our last session was emotional for me, in a happy way.
There is a proverb that says, "everybody has been young before, but not everybody has been old before." No matter what brings you here I would be honored to be part of your journey as you navigate a time in life that could not be more brilliantly defined then by the words of this proverb. Hi... I'm Dr. Jenny... nice to meet you!
