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Bernadette DiGiulian is a Professional Geriatric Care Manager and owns her own business, Elder Caring, LLC. She helps elders and families make decisions and plans for their lives. In all her care and advice, Bernadette encourages as much independence as possible.
As a geriatric care management, Bernadette does initial assessments for both person and the home setting. Following this assessment, she provides a written report of findings and suggestions for clients and families, which she calls a "road map." She helps families put the necessary supports in place with the help of outstanding agencies and other elder care resources. She will manage, tweak, change and supervise the care as necessary. Bernadette does consultations, care management, offers guidance in identifying alternative housing options, facilitates placement, and coordinates other services. In many cases where family members are living at a distance from their parents, Bernadette becomes somewhat of a surrogate daughter, making sure that care is a good as she would give her own Mother.
In addition to her professional role, Bernadette is a caregiver for her own 92 year old mother and gives her clients the same quality of care she gives her own mother. Bernadette has been a resident of Branford, Connecticut for forty years and has been active in many shoreline civic activities. Recently, she has been a founder of Shoreline Eldercare Alliance, a group of over twenty professionals of various disciplines in elder care. The group is a not -for- profit organization whose primary goal is to raise public awareness of issues and services important to older adults, and provide information, education, resource referrals and quality professional service.
Bernadette is a member of the Connecticut Geriatric Society, CT Coalition on Aging, Connecticut Coalition for End of Life Care, the Branford Clergy Association, National Association of Chaplains, and Shoreline Arts Alliance. She is an Associate Fellow at Saybrook College at Yale University. Bernadette is a frequent speaker on geriatric issues of care and pastoral care topics. She is a certified "Choices" counselor through The Area Agency on Aging.
Bernadette DiGiulian is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and has worked in geriatrics for 25 years. She is a Certified Chaplain and is a member of a National Association of Chaplains. Bernadette did her training at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, The Hospital of St. Raphael, New Haven and Masonic Health Care Center, Wallingford, Connecticut. She was the Chaplain at Branford Hills Health Care Center and The Director of Community Life for Church Homes Inc. where she managed the Department of Community Life. In the capacity as Director of Community Life, she supervised social work, therapeutic recreation, a large volunteer group and co-directed orientation for all disciplines. She also met with nursing and nursing assistants regularly to lead discussion on inclusive care; stressing the need for all disciplines to know the whole person. She gave daily spiritual care to long-term residents. While with Church Homes Inc., she, in partnership with nursing, started one of the first Assisted Living Departments in Connecticut. This Assisted Living program received a 98% rating from JACO.
Bernadette was also Director of Resident Services at Evergreen Woods, a premier independent and assisted living facility in North Branford, Connecticut.
Before entering Divinity School, Bernadette was a public school teacher in New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. She attended The State University of New York at Cortland and Colgate University.