Torie N. Pendleton, LPN, MA
Torie Pendleton has worked with Senior adults in multiple settings and positions over the last 30yrs. She has developed new Memory Care Units, created engaging programs, trained staff in dementia best practices, and provided Cognitive Stimulation Therapy. Torie’s goal has always been to help patients and their caregivers obtain support as they navigate the dementia journey.
In 2018, she became the national program manager for a non-profit brain health program, Acti-v8 Your Brain. With the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (GAPF), she traveled throughout North America, presenting seminars about the latest brain health measures. Torie left GAPF to focus on developing BeYond the Bend, LLC.
As an Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia Specialist, she believes a three-fold approach to Dementia Care is vital:
- Training direct-care workers and health professionals in dementia care.
- Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for people living with dementia.
- Caregiver coaching, support, and advocacy.
These elements contribute to a positive aging environment for those who experience cognitive impairment and decline due to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Dr. Krystal L. Culler, DBH, MA
Dr. Krystal L. Culler is the Founder of the Virtual Brain Health Center. She is a Doctor of Behavioral Health, social gerontologist, and a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health with Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, where she completed her residency training on dementia prevention and social determinants of brain health. Krystal has spent nearly 7 years in Executive-level positions with health non-profit organizations and has 15 years of experience working with individuals with brain health concerns, their families, and advocacy organizations.
Christopher Doran, RN, CDP
Christopher Doran has been working with senior citizens, both alert and with cognitive impairments, for over 10 years.
He is a Registered Nurse in NY and NJ, Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), and a Memory Care Trainer. He specializes in dementia education, care coordination, nursing management training, Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement. Christopher has both started up Assisted Living Departments from the ground up and reshaped existing ones, with every department he has led as director achieving zero deficiencies both in nursing and recreation. Working with a team of department heads, he has collaboratively achieved Advanced Standing and Best of the Best awards through the Health Care Association of NJ. Christopher has also won two creative awards for Assisted Living Week. Not only has he won creative awards, but he has redesigned and modernized dementia trainings reaching hundreds of employees and families.
Helping nursing departments prepare for survey and Advanced Standing is something he takes pride in. He is currently finishing his MSN and clinical requirements while working in spiritual abuse and religious trauma, bringing awareness to the healing and restoration that can occur. This includes speaking engagements, non-profit advising, and graduate-level research on spiritual health in nursing and its impact on patient outcomes.
