Who’s Who/Company Profile
Nancy Verhei GCM
CEO/founder
Nancy Verhei is the CEO, Geriatric Care Manager, program developer, and founder of Elder Options. She formed the company in 1993 and has continued to add services and programs to encompass ten programs under one roof. Nancy has 20 years work experience in the hospital/health care industry, interning at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank, and UCLA Medical Center, in Los Angeles, California. She started her hospital management career at the former Monticello Medical Center and St. John/Peace Health Medical Center in Longview, Washington. She has an additional 20 years of social service work, and Geriatric Care Management at Elder Options.
Nancy grew up in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas. She relocated to Longview in 1974 after graduating from college in social work. Nancy and her husband Jim are proud parents of 5 grown children, 8 darling grandchildren, and she enjoys a large extended family. She is a proud member of the overextended “Baby Boomer Sandwich Generation”. She juggles time between grandchildren, elderly parents, and travel. She has a deep understanding of the needs and issues of her senior clients and their family members who struggle with the balancing act of caregiving for two or more generations.
Andrea Ziegler
Administrator
Andrea is the Administrator at Elder Options with a background in Health Care and Medical Insurance Administration. Her extensive work experience encompasses 10 years working at the University of Washington Medical & Health Science Centers and 15 years for insurance companies such as Regency Blue Shield and Pacific Care. She has the added insight of having worked as a business manager for a local nursing home. She has seen the stark contrast of quality of life issues for seniors living in institutional care versus being happy living the “golden years” at home. Andrea was hired at Elder Options in 2007 and promoted to Administrator in 2011. Andrea oversees the day to day operations of the company.
Andrea and her two sons, have been members of our community for 14 years after relocating from Seattle. Ms. Ziegler is very involved in her son’s various sporting activities at R.A. Long High School. She has held board positions with youth baseball, the Lower Columbia Health Care Alliance, and she is a member of the Cowlitz County Vulnerable Adult Task Force and the Senior Care Network.
Colleen Paine
Director of Community Services /Housing Specialist
Colleen Paine is Elder Option’s Community Outreach Director and our Senior Housing Placement Specialist. She has worked at Elder Options since 2000. Colleen has 21 years experience working in assisted living and residential care administration to complement her eleven years with our agency. Colleen helps families sort through the variety of care options available to them so they can make informed decisions.
Colleen and her husband Tom have lived in Longview for many years. She has two children, 4 adorable grandchildren, and also provides long distance care-giving for an elderly father in Oregon.
Jeanne Brummitt RN, BSN, MSN
Jeanne is Elder Option’s Education Manager and RN Case Manager. She has 20 years experience in emergency and trauma management at several hospitals, and in the military, and 4 years with Elder Options in Geriatric Care management and education.
Jeanne is knowledgeable in the challenges that caregivers and nursing assistants face in all work settings. She has taught and mentored over 1,500 students since she first began instructing caregivers through the Care Careers Academy. The students come from various employers from all over the Longview and Vancouver service areas.
She is certified and approved by the State of Washington to teach the Fundamentals of Caregiving Classes (RFOC & MFOC), Nurse Delegation, Nurse Delegation classes with Diabetic emphasis, Home Care Aide classes, CPR, and Certified Nursing Assistant training.
Jeanne is also a RN case manager and does nursing assessments for insurance companies and Adult Family Homes. She is a firm believer that if a senior’s home is prepared for emergencies with a care plan in place, including an emergency response alert system in the home, that seniors can usually live most happily and less expensively in their home.
Jeanne and her husband Jim live in Longview with her menagerie of assorted pets.
Dayna Gohn
Director of Business Services
Dayna is the Director of Business Services, and is responsible for the finance, business office, and reception area. Dayna has over 20 years experience in Business Office management . She has been involved with elder care early in her career when her mother started one of the very first adult family homes in Cowlitz County. Dayna helped with the start up and management of staff. She has worked for the Providence Hospital Heath Services as well as five years with Elder Options.
Dayna is a native of Cowlitz County and lives with her husband LaDean and two children who keep her busy after hours. She has been involved with the Relay for Life for the past three years.
Staff
The 15 office staff and support team who work at Elder Options have all been carefully screened before placement, having come from both hospital, long term care, and social service backgrounds. All staff go through criminal background checks and drug screens on a regular basis as required by law. Besides trustworthiness, the most important ingredient in our selection of staff is dedication and compassion for seniors and community service. We have two staff persons on call 24 hours a day to serve our clients and and their family members after hours. It is the philosophy of the administrative team that clients and families need the reassurance that they can reach us any time of the week. Elder Options hallmark is our customer service.
