Susy Elder Murphy, BA, CMC joined Debra Levy Eldercare Associates in 1993, and helped build the practice in her long-time role as Director of Care Management. She assumed day-to-day responsibilities for running the business in the summer of 2012 and full ownership of the practice on June 1, 2013.

Susy is a Certified Care Manager, accredited by the National Academy of Certified Care Managers. She is also a member of the Aging Life Care™ Association and served as an at-large Board Member of their Mid-Atlantic Chapter from 2013 – 2015 and as President in 2016 and 2017. She also served as co-chair for their regional conference in 2014. Susy is also a member of the American Geriatric Society and co-chair of programming for the metro Washington, DC chapter. She is an active member of the boards of various organizations serving the needs of local seniors, including a hospice.

Susy’s first job working with older adults was as the Nutrition Director for a federally funded nutrition program in Hailey, Idaho. She was also the founding coordinator of JCA’s Connect-A-Ride program and a volunteer coordinator for the Family Friends program.

She attended Oberlin College and graduated with Honors from the University of Michigan. In addition to working with our clients, she enjoys baking for her family and exploring different cuisines and cultures with her husband and two adult children.

Kim Picca, RN, BSN, CDP (Certified Dementia Practitioner) began her career with a BS degree in Horticulture, specializing in horticulture therapy. She assisted seniors in various settings to experience the joys of gardening, and also worked as an employment coach with developmentally disabled adults. Kim enjoyed working with these populations so much that she pursued a second career in nursing. Kim earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree with High Honors from the University of Maryland worked as a medical-surgical nurse at a local hospital. Kim joined the Debra Levy Eldercare Associates staff in 2003 as a nurse care manager and has served as our Director of Nursing since 2013. Kim is dedicated to working with our staff to provide high quality, client centered care leading to optimal outcomes and client satisfaction. She and her husband stay very active with their two young sons and she enjoys spending time outdoors, reading and cooking.

Susan Blum, MSW, LCSW-C, LICSW, C-ASWCM graduated from Smith College School for Social Work with a Master’s Degree in Social Work. She completed the training program on Topics in Aging from the Washington School of Psychiatry in May 2000. She joined our practice in 2004, and now serves as Director of Care Management. She provides social work supervision to DLEA social workers and leads a monthly client care and supervision group at DLEA. Prior to her work with DLEA, Susan has served as a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist at Family and Child Services of DC, George Washington University Medical Center Outpatient Psychiatry, the Washington School of Psychiatry, and at the Green Ridge Behavioral Health psychotherapy private practice.

Susan has worked in a psychotherapy private practice as a social work consultant to several nursing homes providing consultation and ongoing psychotherapy services to residents. She has served on the program committee for the Grass Roots Organization for the Well-Being of Seniors since 2007 and was elected to the board in March 2017. She is a member of the Aging Life Care Association and the National Association of Social Workers. Susan enjoys walking her dog, traveling, and swimming on a Masters Swim Team.

Teresa Boring, MSW, LCSW-C, LICSW, earned her Master’s degree in Social Work with a specialization in Gerontology from SUNY Albany, after graduating Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Psychology, also from SUNY Albany. She began working with aging adults while an undergraduate and was accepted into the Internships in Aging Project during graduate school. This project, which is part of the national Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education, allowed her to participate in internships, seminars, and coursework pertaining to the aging population and people with disabilities.Teresa has had experience working as a caregiver for aging adults, an instructor for children with disabilities, and running support groups for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. Teresa is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). In her spare time, Teresa loves cooking, being outdoors, and spending time with her friends and family.

Bree Baldwin, MS, earned her BA from Colorado State University. After living abroad, she received her Master’s degree in Gerontology from Oklahoma State University, returning to an interest in working with aging adults that began early in life. Bree has experience in dementia care, creating and administering social day groups for seniors with memory loss, environmental gerontology (aging-in-place), and caregiver support groups. Her work as a Memory Activity Specialist in a Continuing Care Retirement Community setting was commended by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities & Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CARF-CCAC). Bree is our WellSenior Program Coordinator. In her spare time she enjoys reading, walking, singing and travel.

Michael DeSarno, BSN, RN, earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Scranton. His experience is primarily in geriatric care, including long-term care and sub-acute rehab. He also has experience working with individuals with severe and profound physical and intellectual disabilities, as well as acute medical-surgical experience. After starting his career in his home state of Pennsylvania, Mike and his family relocated to Maryland after three years in New York City in order to be closer to family. In his spare time, Mike enjoys reading, knitting, cooking and quality time with his family.

Erica Hanson, RN, LCSW-C, received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work from Syracuse University, School of Social Work. After graduation she studied at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid where she received a Diploma in Spanish Studies. She then received her Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration.

Erica enjoyed a twenty-five year career as a social worker working primarily in medical settings such as hospitals, clinics, home care and hospice. She completed many training programs at the Washington School of Psychiatry and the Washington Center for Psychoanalysis, which informed her treatment of adults and couples in her private practice.

After caring for her elderly mother, Erica was inspired to pursue a career in nursing. She graduated from George Washington University School of Nursing and has worked in Behavioral Health and Case Management. She is a Certified Case Manager by the Commission for Case Management Certification and is fluent in Spanish. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, spending time on the beach in Rhode Island with her family and friends, watching movies and reading.

Amy Kandel, MSW, LMSW, earned her BS from the University of Maryland, College Park. After helping take care of aging parents, Amy received her Master’s Degree in Social Work, with a specialization in Aging from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Amy has experience working with older adults in rehabilitation, long-term care and in an adult day program specializing in memory loss. Amy also has experience providing case management to older adults and their families and co-facilitating support groups for spouses/partners of people with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Amy is a member of the Aging Life Care Association and the National Association of Social Workers. In her spare time, Amy enjoys spending time with her husband and two adult children, playing tennis and traveling.

Susan Lilly, LMSW, C-ASWCM, received her Master’s in Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work. She obtained a Post Master’s Certificate in Aging from Hunter College – Brookdale Center on Aging. Susan’s 25 year social work career has specialized in addressing the issues faced by older adults and their families. Previous positions include director of social services for a long term care and sub-acute rehabilitation facility, director of a medical adult day program and director of geriatric care management services for a non-profit geriatric center. She is an Advanced Professional member of the Aging Life Care Association (ALCA) and a member of the National Association of Social Workers. She is currently the treasurer of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of ALCA.

Susan recently moved to Maryland from New Jersey to be near her two daughters and son-in-law. She enjoys swimming, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.

Kate McCulloch, RN, BSN, earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Delaware. She started her nursing career in the operating room and then transitioned into homecare. It was as a homecare nurse that Kate found her passion providing support to clients facing challenges of aging. She strives to make a positive impact with her empathetic touch and desire to help clients maximize their quality of life. In her spare time, Kate enjoys cross training, running, reading, and spending quality time with her children and their dog.

Jennifer Sherwood, RN, BSN, CDP (Certified Dementia Practitioner) received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Maryland with honors. She went to nursing school and worked at Frederick Hospital along with long-time staff member Kim Picca. Jennifer has experience in the acute and homecare settings. Areas of emphasis have included care management, home health, orthopedics, and psychiatry. Jennifer worked as a solo Geriatric Care Manager for several years before joining our practice. She enjoys painting murals, decorating, reading, volunteering and spending time outdoors.

Robin Udell, LMSW, began her work with older adults in college, as an in-home caregiver. Realizing she wanted to follow a path that would allow her to better advocate for this population, she graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work in 2011 and completed her Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Michigan in 2012. Since then she has worked in long term care, memory care, assisted and independent living, and short-term rehab settings. Most recently she worked as a case manager at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington with Charles E. Smith Life Communities, working on discharge plans following short rehab stays. She has a passion for helping people make informed decisions about their care and enjoys creating person-centered plans with her clients. In her spare time, Robin enjoys spending time with her husband and their many pets, cooking, hosting movie nights for friends, and working in her vegetable garden.

Amy Ullman, MSW, LCSW-C, received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Temple University in 1996 and has practiced social work for nearly twenty years. Amy has worked primarily in the field of home health services, both with Homecall, Inc. and Medstar Visiting Nurse Association (formerly Montgomery General Community Health). Most recently, she worked for U.S. Renal Care, providing social work services to patients receiving dialysis. Additionally, she has experience working in rehabilitation and long-term care facilities, where she performed discharge planning and social services to long-term care residents. In her spare time, Amy loves spending time with her family, scrapbooking and reading.

Liz Zarate, MS, received her MS in Applied Gerontology from Towson University in December 2014. She received her BA in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2007. Liz enjoys working with older adults and helping people is her passion. After earning her MS and in recognition of her hard work with our clients she also took on the role of Associate Care Manager, and is the Assistant Director of our WellSenior Program. She also helps with client intakes and administrative work in the business office. In her spare time, she loves to sing and spend time with family and friends.