Our Staff

Debra L. Wright (Debbie), Chief Operations Officer
Debbie has been with Care For Life since 2002. Her dedication and varied knowledge moved her rapidly into her current role. Her broad skill set was acquired through her education (BS, University of South Carolina-Aiken in Interdisciplinary Studies for Business and Education) which combined with her varied work experience in medical and other business settings to equip her to manage all sorts of issues and personalities. She also served in the United States Air Force in many responsible roles in various commands.

On a daily basis, she executes her many duties with precision and well-honed interpersonal skills in human resources. She oversees virtually every facet of the Care For Life business from managing an nine-member team on the internal staff and over 100 caregivers in the field to scheduling, all matters pertaining to financial decisions, payroll and filing of insurance claims. She participates with our nurse and our social worker in decisions regarding our clients' services and the caregivers' performance. Debbie is available to any of our clients and/or family members or other responsible parties. She is an excellent listener and problem solver.

Debbie has had her own experience in eldercare. Continue...

Anamaria Rhame, Executive Assistant to C.O.O.
Anamaria attended the University of South Carolina, majoring in Early Childhood education. Rather than teaching she developed a love for Human Resource Management. She came to Care for Life with 28 years experience in HR management, payroll, employee benefits and accounting. She has assumed many of these responsibilities at Care For Life and also prepares long term care insurance claims for our clients. She interacts daily with many of our clients' family members and our caregivers.

Having cared for both of her parents when they were terminally ill with cancer and her grandmother with Alzheimer's Disease, Anamaria realizes how invaluable the services are that Care for Life provides, and she is thankful to be part of such a collaborative team. Her two favorite pastimes are time with her young son and singing in her church's music group.

Sheryl Willis O'Neal, Director of Business Development & Marketing
Sheryl has a lifelong passion for assisting others who can not always act for themselves. She is active in many volunteer endeavors in the community. She is the spokesperson for Care For Life and welcomes the opportunity to speak to any civic, religious, professional, or special interest groups. Sheryl participates on behalf of Care for Life as an active member of LowCountry Senior Network and Aging in Place. To schedule a speaker for your group, call Sheryl at Care for Life: 843-852-9090.

"Know Stroke Training", Continue...

Sheryl provides caring and insightful options along with professional resources to individuals and their families. She strives to coordinate resources and develop action plans that allow the elderly and those with health concerns manage their daily lives and responsibilities in their homes and with dignity.

Calling Care For Life was the best thing I've done today. I found contact information on the Trident Health System's website in its Resource Directory. Even though I am in the medical field, I didn't know where I should start. I knew there had to be someone with the answers I'm seeking. I had gotten completely frustrated after two hours of calling nursing homes and other agencies. Within 15 minutes, Sheryl O'Neal gave me three key steps to get me started towards moving my mother from another state. I know she will offer more help along the way also. Thanks Sheryl for listening, and thanks to Care For Life for being there.

Sheryl, on behalf of Roper St. Francis Advantage Program, thank you for speaking to our members at St. Francis Hospital yesterday. You are a wonderful speaker and a caring person, and it shows in your presentation."

Kristin Akins, LPN, Director of Homecare Services, Nurse Care Mgr.
Kristin comes to Care For Life with nine years experience in a hospital setting. For three of those years, she provided nursing assessments, treatment and medication administration. She worked closely with doctors to execute their orders and performed case management in arranging the discharge needs of patients. At Summerville Medical Center, she also worked on the highly skilled Wound Care team. Kristin previously worked for six years at Roper/St.Francis Hospital where she was entrusted with oversight of charting audits, quality assurance concerns, and other vital medical testing.

Kristin conducts medical, cognitive and environment assessment on each new client. She creates written long term care plans in concert with the client and/or family members that will serve the client's best interests, safety and overall well-being. In addition, her follow-up quality assurance visits monitor our clients' conditions and our caregivers performance.

Dear Kristen, (Director of Homecare Services)

Thank you very much for all your help yesterday with my Dad. My Mom said that you were so good with him!!! She said, "Kristen is so sweet and she knew just how to handle him." She said that my Dad seemed to like you as well. I could tell that she was more at ease after you had been there. Again, thanks for your help!! It means a lot to me to know that she has someone like you to lean on.

Kerri Moore, Licensed Medical Social Worker, Care Manager
Kerri Moore is an experienced medical professional, LMSW, who counsels and facilitates elder care. She worked in another state in Adult Protective Services, a governmental agency responsible for investigating elder abuse. More recently, she was employed by a local assisted living facility providing social work counseling, for resources and referrals to the residents.

Newly certified in Geriatric Care Management, Kerri Moore, LMSW presents program on Eldercare for Adult Children

Following every inquiry that usually reveals important information from a concerned party, Sheryl O'Neal confers with Kerri about the client's needs. Kerri makes an appointment for an initial assessment in the place of residence with the individual or his/her responsible party who is usually an adult child. In the majority of cases, she makes recommendations that will help the party remain in his/her home safely and independently for as long as possible.

She assesses family interactions, safety in the home, whether there are needs for specialized therapies. When non-medical in-home care is needed in order to remain at home, she will match a caregiver to the client. There are certainly instances when staying at home is no longer an option. Kerri will assist in locating a facility that will best suit his/her overall care needs.

Marlene Akins, Recruitment and Retention Coordinator
Marlene works directly with the President, the Chief Operating Officer and the Director of Homecare Services to ensure that proper procedures are followed. Marlene is responsible for the following critical areas in which she:

• Recommends, revises upon approval, and implements the Policy and Procedure Manual & Employee Handbook for the company.
• She conducts interviews with prospective employees and oversees employment verifications and screening procedures including thorough background checks.
• She facilitates new employee orientation and mandatory monthly in-service continuing education for caregivers.
• She tracks compliance to company policies and procedures with the assistance of Executive Assistant Stacy Holley.

Marlene came to Care For Life after many years in volunteer efforts aimed towards improving the lives of seniors. She is a valued team member and an innovative thinker.

Juanita Jordan, Scheduling Manager
As Scheduling Manager, Juanita Jordan multi-tasks constantly and expediently throughout each workday. Scheduling over 100 caregivers is a daunting task. She uses her years of experience as a caregiver to enhance her interactions with Care For Life's caregivers and clients. From early childhood, Juanita has been caring for others in some capacity from babysitting in her neighborhood, to motherhood and to eldercare including that of her beloved grandmother and mother until they passed away. Her empathy and practical skills are well-honed from these heartfelt experiences.

Juanita knows each client's physical limitations and emotional profiles so that she, working with our nurse who has done the in-home assessment, assigning the most qualified, best-matched caregiver for each client. The same caring effort goes into each case, no matter how few or how many hours devoted to a client's needs.

On a daily basis, Juanita handles dozens of scheduling calls to and from caregivers and, most importantly, to and from our clients and their family members ascertaining their needs and filling their scheduling requests. She is a true team player and adheres to the "golden rule" in her life and work. She treats everyone the way she wants to be treated and encourages our caregivers to do the same.

Juanita is a lifelong learner following in her mother's footsteps. She is a licensed certified nursing assistant, a certified first responder with her local fire department, and she is studying for her degree in nursing. Her dynamic 20 year old son is a volunteer firefighter and very involved in their church.

Stacey Holley, Executive Assistant-Homecare Services
Stacey works closely with Marlene Akins in Recruitment and Retention and with Kristin Akins, Director of Homecare Services to facilitate recruitment, hiring and retention of caregivers. She has served Care For Life as the Executive Accounting Assistant for several years prior to her relocating into her new role. She is a key team member who will enhance our already stringent performance policies for our caregivers and will ensure that we retain our excellent caregivers.

Stacey shares her own experience about caring for her parents. Continue...