Home Care is Not a Career, It’s a Calling

Wendy Adlerstein, LSW

Wendy serves as our Executive Director. She oversees the non-medical assessments of clients, originating service plans, and supervises the office care team including the recruiting, training, scheduling and performance of caregivers.

Prior to joining FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston, Wendy served in a variety of roles during a 25 year career in elder services at a private, non- profit home care agency in Waltham, MA which provides a myriad of services to seniors and adults with disabilities. As a licensed social worker, Wendy managed programs which provided services to seniors, conducted in home assessments, provided guidance to families and individuals to create service plans that addressed the needs and safety of seniors, and coordinated home care services. During her role as Volunteer Services Manager, she was responsible for recruiting, training, supervising and managing volunteers. She has extensive experience working directly with older adults and their families and helping people connect and find the right solutions to meet their needs. Wendy is inspired and motivated by helping people and thrives on making a difference in people’s lives.

Wendy holds a B.A. from Clark University, in Psychology with a concentration in Sociology and Human Services. In addition to her Massachusetts License in Social Work, Wendy holds a Certificate in Gerontology from the Worcester Consortium Gerontology Program. She is a member of the Aging Life Care Association (ALCA), formerly the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers.  Wendy is a Certified Dementia Practitioner^® (CDP) in good standing from the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners.  Wendy also volunteers as a committee member for the Greater Boston Walk to End Alzheimer’s.  Within that committee, she is active on the Senior Service Engagement Sub-Committee, helping to educate and bring on new teams and sponsors to support the Alzheimer’s Association and their very important mission.

Please take some time to listen to Wendy in an interview on the Engaging Voices podcast.  Wendy shares how she became interested in gerontology, the importance of empathy and communication in the business of care, and how she connects with stressed clients and families.  In addition, Wendy provides an inside view on what makes FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston different from other home care providers.

Jenny Wu, Manager of Operations

Jenny began her career at FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston as a Care Coordinator and was promoted to Manager of Client Care Services in July 2019.  Prior to joining FirstLight, Jenny worked in the mental/behavioral health and developmental disabilities systems in Maine and New Hampshire. In her previous roles, she worked with individuals and families in the home, school, group homes and various community settings. She is passionate about working with people to help them meet their personal, academic, vocational and recreational goals. She has experience working directly with youth and children doing functional and behavioral health support, as well as parents, family members and caregivers in other case management roles. Jenny grew up living with her grandmother and relocated back to Massachusetts when her family needed additional assistance with her grandmother’s care due to Alzheimer’s. Jenny graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.S. in Family Studies. She holds a Certificate in Case Management from Boston University School of Social Work’s Center for Aging & Disability Education and Research.  Finally, Jenny is a Certified Dementia Practitioner^® (CDP) in good standing from the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners.

Elise Degon, Manager of Client Care Services

Elise is responsible for the oversight of all client care, including caregiver schedules and performance through her role of managing the Care Coordination Team. Along with her direct reports which include the Care Support Coordinator, Senior Care Coordinator and Care Coordinators, Elise participates in the performance evaluations and mentoring of our professional caregivers.  Over the last seven years, Elise has also held the positions of Senior Care Support Coordinator, Senior Care Coordinator and Care Coordinator.  Prior to joining FirstLight HomeCare in 2017, Elise attended Curry College where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Health and Wellness. Elise also holds a Certificate in Case Management from Boston University School of Social Work’s Center for Aging & Disability Education and Research. In her prior position as a Health and Wellness Consultant at Jenny Craig, Elise enjoyed making a positive impact on people’s lives physically, mentally and emotionally. Her job was not only to help clients lose weight, but to instill healthy lifestyle changes and behaviors to ensure clients live a long and happy life.  Elise has always had a passion for the elderly as she lived with her grandparents all of her life, and they had a very large part in raising her. She provided help to them when needed, just like our caregivers do at FirstLight. Whether helping with grocery shopping, providing support at doctor’s appointments, cleaning, or just running errands, Elise was always there for her family members needing care. She knows firsthand what great care is, and the incredible benefits that come from it. Elise’s mother is a CNA who often provides help with her grandfather for the more physical aspects of his needs. Elise loves being able to make a difference in someone’s life.  Finally, Elise is a Certified Dementia Practitioner^® (CDP) in good standing from the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners.

Nachelle Augustin, Care Support Coordinator

Over the years, Nachelle has built her career path working with the elderly in many roles. With her passion to help older adults, she started her career as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), working in both home care and assisted living facilities. She then went on to obtain her undergraduate degree in Biology from Pine Manor College and later earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Boston College.  Before joining FirstLight Home Care, Nachelle worked for an assisted living facility as the Memory Care Director, overseeing the care of the residents, maintaining relationships with family members, and managing and supervising care staff, ensuring all care plans were followed and that safety and proper oversight were priorities for the residents.   Nachelle also has experience working as a clinician with different age groups doing In-Home Therapy, and as an intern, worked doing cancer research.   In her role as Care Support Coordinator, Nachelle does supervisory in-home visits to clients—to support our hard-working caregivers, updates and reviews care plans, and provides ongoing oversight and training for caregivers. She also assists with scheduling and care coordination.  Nachelle is family-oriented, and she is known to be friendly and bubbly.  Nachelle also enjoys watching movies when she’s not spending time with her family. She enjoys long walks on a nice day. Overall, Nachelle is goal-oriented and a go-getter, and she won’t stop until all of her plans have been met.

Chlea Bynoe, Care Support Coordinator

In her role as Care Support Coordinator, Chlea does supervisory in-home visits to clients to update and review care plans and provides support to caregivers by providing oversight and training. Prior to joining FirstLight, Chlea worked at a home care agency as an HR Generalist. She then worked for several years at an assisted living facility where she held various positions from CNA, Med-Tech, Lead Resident Care Associate, Lead Receptionist, to Social Ambassador. In that role, Chlea organized events to help bridge the gap between clients and caregivers. Finally, she served as the Care Director where she supervised the care of clients. Chlea loves being there for the clients she works with and enjoys making their day any way she can. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her joyful daughter and sitting by the water while reading a book.

Jill Kemp, Recruitment Associate

Jill supports the recruitment process of finding the most qualified of caregivers to join the FirstLight team.  After graduating from Lesley University with her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Jill began her teaching career in Quincy Public Schools in grades Kindergarten through 2nd Grade. During this time, she strengthened her skills for helping and teaching young children and working very closely with their families in the community. After many years working with children in the school setting, Jill made a career change and began her journey at Encompass Health Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital where she gained a new love for working with adults and the geriatric community. She worked very closely with the nursing staff and patients which helped her learn what it takes to find caregivers who have empathy, kindness, and a passion for helping others. This has allowed her to understand what it takes to find caregivers who have the highest of skills, qualities, and talent for FirstLight. Jill lives with her husband, three children, and two dogs. She enjoys spending time with her family, watching her children’s sporting events and being outdoors.

Kaia, Official Office Pup

She ensures that no crumbs are left on the floor and most importantly, that each team member has a smile on their face when they see her.  She is always game for a belly rub.  Prior to joining the office team in September 2019, Kaia unfortunately, had a less-than-enjoyable life.  But thanks to a rescue agency and our Executive Director & Owner, Wendy Adlerstein, LSW, she has found a renewed enthusiasm–and most certainly, round the clock love.  Kaia is currently working towards enrollment in classes to become a therapy dog, and down the road, we see her bringing much warmth and cheer to FirstLight Home Care clients.