NORWELL VNA’s JOAN WRIGHT ACCEPTED AS CERTIFIED MEMBER OF
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL GERIATRIC CARE MANAGERS

South Shore agency provides clients with nationally-rated geriatric care management services

March 31, 2008 –Guiding elders and their families and caregivers, coordinating elder care services, and educating consumers on elder care management options are just some of the services Joan Wright, Community Development Coordinator for the Norwell Visiting Nurse Association (VNA), is able to provide the residents of the South Shore. Wright was recently accepted as a certified member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM), an association that seeks the advancement of expert assistance to older adults and their families through strict certification requirements.

Wright’s certification serves to strengthen the Norwell VNA’s position as a leader in elder care management on the South Shore. She joins Norwell VNA staff members Noreen Cataldo, BSN, RN, CCM, CLNC; Sheila DeWolfe, RN, and Mary O’Malley, RN, who also are certified members of the national association. Norwell VNA employs four of the seven professional geriatric care managers presently certified by the NAPGCM and practicing in the communities between Quincy and Plymouth.

A health and human services specialist with extensive knowledge of the costs, quality, and availability of community resources, Wright is certified to advocate for elders as well as provide resources for families caring for older relatives. Her areas of practice include assessment, care management, education and home care.

“The Norwell VNA staff prides itself on being among the top care providers in the nation. We place great emphasis on staying current on the certifications that are available in an effort to provide our clients award-winning care,” said Meg Doherty, Executive Director of the Norwell VNA. “Our staff of nurses, therapists and administrators strives for excellence in all the services that we provide to our clients. With so few certified Professional Geriatric Care Managers currently located on the South Shore, we are pleased to say that four of those individuals are on staff at the Norwell VNA.”

The Norwell Visiting Nurse Association, located in Norwell and serving the South Shore, provides nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, nutritional counseling, home health aides/homemakers and a variety of support services and programs to patients of all ages and for all needs. The Norwell VNA has been serving the community since 1920 providing services to residents in Norwell, Scituate, Abington, Braintree, Cohasset, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Hingham, Holbrook, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Pembroke, Quincy, Rockland, Weymouth and Whitman. For more information about the Norwell VNA and its services, please visit the web site at www.nvna.org or call 781-659-2342.