Education

Deborah Hanna is one of the founding members of YES! She is armed with passion to support and advocate for families affected by young-onset dementia.

The development of programs for education and support for families of YES! is her heartbeat. Deborah has a BS in Psychology and an MA in Therapeutic Education. Later, she completed her Specialist in Aging post graduate degree. Deborah completed Clinical Spiritual Support Training and Hospice certification in both direct patient care and bereavement training. A transition in career from early childhood to gerontology was triggered when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Deborah has been a facilitator for the young-onset memory loss support group for many years at the MD Alzheimer’s Association, and then went on to co-found YES! and establish a resource partnership with the MD Alzheimer’s Association. She co-founded Pretty Awesome Ladies (PALS), a social group for YOD care partners, and has been a panelist speaker at various Maryland Alzheimer’s conferences. She also has an established partnership with Lorenzo’s House, an organization that also serves young-onset families exclusively.

Deborah retired as the Director of National Patient Advocacy at Clinical Site Services (CSSi), and supported enrollment for clinical trials, including Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases research. In her spare time, Deborah enjoys relaxing at the beach, hiking, and spending time with her grandchildren, ages 8, 7, 6, 4, 4, and 3!! Three boys, and three girls. They feed her soul.

Karin Abma is a professional with experience in higher education and the nonprofit world. She is an independent contractor and consultant who has a wealth of experience in grant writing and management, online communication, program development, and supervision. With a former employer, Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic (CCMA), she managed an AmeriCorps VISTA federal national service grant worth approximately $1.5M. This grant allows 35 member campuses to recruit an AmeriCorps VISTA member to complete an anti-poverty project like a campus food pantry or a tutoring and mentoring after-school program. Her experience working with CCMA has given her insight into a small nonprofit doing many different things with a limited budget. Working with nonprofit social media presence, online newsletter, and website, Karin knows how important it is to communicate the idea and mission behind the organization through real people and real stories. After her father-in-law was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s in 2014, she experienced a steep learning curve in the needs and care required for both those with YOD and caregivers. She is excited to use her expertise to help grow YES! as an organization and to convey the YES! stories that are so impactful, whether for advocacy, fundraising, or in support of caregivers. She enjoys hiking, listening to a good investigative podcast, and playing roller derby. She lives in Frederick, MD with her family.

Throughout her life, Audra McShane’s mother was her rock. She taught Audra how to be a strong, independent woman. Three years ago, Audra’s life completely changed when her mom was diagnosed with moderate stage Early Onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 56. At that time, Audra was living her dream as a Golf Professional in Florida. Once the diagnosis was determined, she had to make a decision: stay in Florida or move home and help with her mom. She chose to move home. It was the right decision. Her step-father is her mom’s primary caregiver, but Audra spends two days a week relieving him and spending time with her mom. Audra first learned about YES! through a Facebook group and couldn’t believe that this group was in the region. She felt so alone and isolated and like no one truly understood the pain of watching a parent deteriorate. YES! was exactly what she needed. She was able to make personal connections right away and was eager to help provide the resources and support to others that she received. Erin and Audra have been working to grow the Social Media platform for YES! with the mission to reach those that might be feeling the same thing Audra felt. “If we can help just one person feel less alone, we have served our purpose,” Audra says.

Nelly Hutchinson is a certified clinical social worker who earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Penn State University and her Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work at Columbia University. Nelly founded her own private practice in 2023, Healing Awaits LLC, where she serves children, adolescents, and adults who are coping with past, recent, and ongoing traumas. Nelly also provides supervision, consultation, and training around treating trauma. Throughout Nelly’s life, her mother was her best friend. They did everything by each other’s sides until things began to change in 2016. After Nelly noticed changes with her mother that others hadn’t seen yet, she pushed for further testing and her mother was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease in September of 2019. Nelly struggled with this diagnosis, as it was the first time in her life, she really had to sit with the idea of losing her best friend and lifeline. Nelly’s sister-in-law watched as Nelly navigated this diagnosis and found a support group for Nelly known as Young onset dementia Education and Support (YES). Nelly joined the group in October 2020 and her life changed for the better as she finally received support around this life changing diagnosis. Nelly realized that she wanted to use her skills and background required to be a therapist to assist others navigating this diagnosis as well. Therefore, she began facilitating the youth group, a group designed to support the high school children of those who are diagnosed. Nelly is excited to provide support to this community who is very deserving and in need.

Michelle graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in Psychology and spent the first part of her career working within Johns Hopkins Outpatient NeuroRehabilitation Program as a psychometrician, where she administered paper- and computer-based tests to determine how clients’ brains were functioning. During lengthy interactions with these clients, they often shared stories of their day-to-day challenges. Inspired by their resilience, she began co-facilitating a support group for people with early stage, young onset dementia and their caregivers and has cherished the opportunity to learn from members for the past ten years. After witnessing the loss of her own grandparents to young onset Alzheimer’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis, she felt compelled to enter the field of occupational therapy, in which she planned to help clients with physical and mental health issues to regain functional independence and to maximize quality of life. In 2016 she graduated from Towson University with an MS in occupational therapy and has gained experience working in a variety of healthcare settings. She has recently established her mobile practice, MY Vitality Therapy, delivering Skills2Care®, a Medicare-covered program that supports caregivers of people living with dementia in their homes. Michelle enjoys spending her free time in the gym, reading a good book, cooking with her husband, or exploring the outdoors with her dog Cisco.