Nettie Harper was unexpectedly inspired to work with elders while doing some volunteer work. The magical moment she walked through the doors of an adult day program and met the wonderful people on the other side changed her life forever. Nettie developed a passion for working with elders living with memory impairments over the next six months. She was inspired to plan for a future in eldercare, becoming a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Therapist (CTRS) so she would have the honor of both working with individuals living with memory impairment and learning from their wisdom. Nettie’s career focus has been to highlight elders’ strengths and self-worth through well-designed programming. Nettie holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Masters of Science in Therapeutic Recreation from the University of Florida. Nettie is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, a Certified Montessori Dementia Care Professional and a Certified Online Training Professional. For over 20 years, she has been a leader in the fields of memory care and recreation therapy, securing New York State grants to improve the quality of dementia care services in skilled nursing facilities, developing globally-implemented training programs, and holding the positions of Vice President of Operations, Director of Recreation, Alzheimer’s Unit Director and Dementia Specialist for some of the most well-regarded memory care programs in Florida and New York. Nettie has worked in a variety of settings including Home Care, Skilled Nursing Homes, Adult Day Cares, Assisted Living Residences and Managed Long Term Cares (MLTC). Nettie’s goal is to continue to offer programming to elders living with a memory impairment and encourage them to live a full life within their community.