Lynn Ivey, Executive Director
Lynn combines her 25 years of experience in the financial industry with her passion for and commitment to adult day care. Because she has been there, she understands the needs of families struggling with the challenges of caring for loved ones living with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other long-term conditions. She uses both her heart and her head to run an operation with employees, contract vendors, and volunteers who handle the special needs and challenges of a frail and exceptional clientele.
 

Betsy Payne, Program Director
Betsy, an RN with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) as well as a Masters in Health Administration (MHA), joined The Ivey in August 2007 to lead the medical protocols and personal care provided to our members. She now manages the entire staff of caregivers. With over 25 years experience of nursing experience at Charlotte’s Presbyterian Hospital in the Belk Heart Center and with Critical Care Open Heart Surgery and Recovery, her role as a Nurse Manager led her teams to consistent successful results in the areas of the highest patient satisfaction scores, highest employee retention rates and highest employee satisfaction scores in the entire Novant Healthcare System. Joining The Ivey team has allowed her to reenter the patient-care focus area of elder care.

Healthcare Coordinator – Position Open

Eileen Behan, Family Resources Director
Eileen came to The Ivey originally as a volunteer. But with a 30-year career in HR services for a Fortune 500 utility company, her skills to The Ivey soon became evident. Her corporate experience included managing and leading teams responsible for comprehensive HR services for over 400 employees and providing counsel to senior management and employees on employee relations and staffing issues throughout the US. At The Ivey, Eileen is responsible for guest services and family concierge functions, administrative procedures and workflow, and HR functions.

Kelly Gibson – Activities Director, ADC, MC
As activities director, Kelly brings to The Ivey not only the necessary educational background, but just as importantly, a warm heart and a strong intuitive sense of how to work with older adults with memory loss and other impairments. As a critical member of the team that develops each member’s individual plan of care, she ensures the activities within the plan meet the social, recreational, emotional, and developmental needs of each member.

Kelly is nationally certified as an activities director from the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals. She has also recently earned a specialized certification in the activities profession for Memory Care (MC). She has more than16 years of experience in this field and previously served for many years as activities director for an assisted living community specializing in Alzheimer’s/dementia care.

Kelly is also sole proprietor of L.A.U.G.H. (Laugh and You Generate Happiness), a business promoting laughter for all ages as a mild cardio-vascular workout as well as a stress reliever, with an emphasis on seniors and community events.

Jeremy Bevins – Executive Chef/Food Service Manager
A Johnson & Wales graduate, Jeremy provides delicious and nutritious meals and snacks for our members. He began his culinary career in Huntington, West Virginia, where he worked his way through college at a local steakhouse. During his time at Marshall University, he learned every aspect of the restaurant business by working as a front line cook, back line prep cook, server, and front-of-house manager. He completed his bachelor’s degree in business management in 2004.

He then went on to graduate in the top of his class from Johnson & Wales University. Since then, Jeremy has worked as sous chef at local restaurants such as Customshop and Dean & Deluca, pastry intern at the Fearrington House Restaurant in Chapel Hill, and garde manger chef at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. His fresh culinary style and commitment to quality are a great match for The Ivey.

Care Partners

Theresa Cizmar, CNA
Although Theresa spent several years as a licensed pharmacy technician, when she read an article about The Ivey, she knew it was the place she wanted to work. She went to school to earn her Certified Nurse’s Assistant designation specifically so she could have an edge in getting work at The Ivey.

Her job is to help our members with activities, meals, and personal care. She particularly aids those who require special help. She assists in spa services and sets up and participates in exercise classes, arts and crafts, and other activity projects. To her family, she brags, “I get to sing and dance in my job!”

Says Theresa about her feelings of working here: “This place just hugs you when you’re here! Everybody helps and supports each other. It’s so rewarding to see our members relax, feel good, and give you a hug.”

Meggan Farnsworth
Meggan is in Nursing School at the Carolina College of Health Sciences, pursuing her RN degree. To get some experience in working with the elderly, she started at The Ivey as a volunteer. She loved it so much that when she was offered a job, she accepted eagerly. She helps our members with their personal care and assists with activities ranging from trivia games to arts and crafts.

Meggan loves to help people and finds the members at The Ivey to be special. She loves their stories and feels they have so much to offer. Their expressive responses to The Ivey’s activities reassures her that their needs are being met. She is convinced that the teamwork and care provided by The Ivey can’t be found anywhere else.

“When you walk away at the end of the day,” she says, “you just feel happy. You never have a bad day here. The atmosphere is loving, caring—from both the staff and the members—you always feel welcome.”

Sarah McGimsey
Sarah started at The Ivey doing an internship as part of her Food and Nutrition studies at Appalachian State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition. While she worked alongside the chef on daily food planning, she began to get to know our members and help them out. When she graduated, she sought a full-time position here working with our members. She completed a Certified Nurses Assistant (CNA) program to be more qualified for senior care, and her experience here has motivated her to get her nursing degree. She is currently enrolled at Carolinas College of Health Sciences in the Associate Nursing Program.

She assists with all of the daily activities, such as crafts, exercise, trivia and games, personal care. Exercising with members is her favorite activity. “Stretching is an important movement,” she says. “Our members have so much fun doing this activity that they sometimes forget that they are actually getting exercise.”

Sarah says, “It’s so pleasurable to help our members. They always have something interesting to say. I love to hear their stories. I especially get a kick out of it when they ask about my love life and want to give me advice!”

Cindy Runyan
Cindy came to The Ivey after four years of experience working in Activities in the senior care industry. Although she has an undergraduate degree in Interior Design, she discovered after doing K-5 substitute teaching for special needs children that she had a “desire to serve.” So she enrolled in a special academic program to learn about administration, nursing, maintenance, food, and activities in the senior care industry. From that she discovered her love for Activities for seniors.

In the last year, she became nationally certified as an Activity Director. Here at the Ivey, she coordinates and implements activities designed to meet the members’ physical, social, spiritual and cognitive needs. Her design background helps her be creative and resourceful in this role. She wants to bring joy to our members’ lives every day.

Cindy tells her family every day that her job is “wonderful.” Says Cindy, “I love to slow down and talk to our members, to hear them tell what they know and what they love, to give them someone who will listen.”

Jean Winfree
Jean knew she wanted to work at The Ivey from the time she read about its opening in the newspaper. She made a call and has been working here every since The Ivey opened its doors for business in 2007.

In her earlier career Jean spent 20 years with Piedmont Airlines where she focused on first class and special needs passengers as well as children.

In 2006 she moved into the senior care industry, starting as a volunteer and then working full-time as a care partner as well as an activities director at a Charlotte assisted living property. Now she gives her first class service and attitude to our members.

Music, dancing and drama are Jean’s favorite activities with The Ivey members. “It’s an instant conversation when we do these types of activities,” she says. “It gives our members the opportunity to remember a special place they might have visited or someone they might have known in their past.”