Janet Brush, Managing Director of Senior Alternatives
About Us
Senior Alternatives has been providing consistent, high-quality Homecare and Care Management since 1995. Our interdisciplinary team, comprising over 180 years of experience, is made up of Masters-level professionals with the following specializations:
- Licensed Clinical Social Workers
- Geriatric Nurse Consultants
- Geriatric Counselor
- Care Managers
Senior Alternatives Staff Members
Care Management Staff:
All of our Care Managers have advanced level educational backgrounds and extensive clinical expertise in geriatrics. Click on a staff member’s name to see their resume (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
Janet Brush, LCSW, MSW, MSG, C-ASWCM, CLPF, is the founder and Managing Director of Senior Alternatives. Janet has a Masters in Social Work, a Masters of Science in Gerontology and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of California. She also has a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. Janet is also a California Licensed Professional Fiduciary. She has extensive experience in the field of Gerontology including working with a variety of issues such as dementia, depression, care giving and other problems associated with the aging process. In addition to her work in the private sector, Janet has worked in a variety of hospital settings including the New York University Aging and Dementia Research Center and Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
Ruth Ahearn, MSW, has a Masters of Social Work from the Fordham School of Social Service and was a Licensed Medical Social Worker in New York before moving back to California. Ruth has been practicing geriatric social work for the past 30 years. She spent more than ten of those years working for various branches of the Alzheimer’s Association, several years coordinating senior volunteer programs and the final majority directing social service programs within senior care facilities.
Lauren Eppinger, LCSW, MSW, has a Masters in Social Work from University of Denver. She was the Program Director at Alzheimer’s Services of the East Bay (ASEB) as well as social worker for their licensed Adult Day Health Care program. Lauren has worked as a Medical Social Worker at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and as a Care Manager for Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP). Lauren brings honesty, integrity and a tangible compassion to her clients at all times.
Sheri Hartman, LCSW, MSW, has a Masters in Social Work from CSU Fresno and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of California. Sheri started her geriatric social work career at the Institute on Aging in San Francisco. After that, she worked with our founder during the first eleven years of Senior Alternatives’ existence. She then took time off to develop her own private therapy and consulting practice and also to work with Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay. She has returned to us, bringing her 20 years of experience in social work and a passionate commitment to deliver care management to the elder population.
Carolyn Lonner, LCSW, MSW, is the Director of Clinical Services for Senior Alternatives. She has a Masters in Social Work from UC Berkeley and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of California. She was the Program Director at Alzheimer’s Services of the East Bay (ASEB) as well as social worker for their licensed Adult Day Health Care program. Carolyn has worked at Catholic Charities in the Aging Case Management program and with the Center for Elderly Suicide Prevention in San Francisco. Besides providing care management for Senior Alternatives, Carolyn also supervises our clinical team with an emphasis on quality assurance.
Blake Mueller, MSW, has a Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California. He spent six years working for the Vitas Hospice organization. His work experience includes both clinical and managerial responsibilities. Blake has worked with varied populations, with a predominant focus on older adults and their families. He brings with him extensive work experience in end of life issues and grief counseling. Blake’s experience also includes managing large multi-disciplinary teams in coordination of client care.
Jennie Riley, MS, has a Masters in Counseling with a Gerontology Specialization from San Francisco State University. Jennie has worked with seniors and adults with disabilities providing counseling and care management services. She also has expertise with providing grief counseling and management of Caregiving staff. Jennie finds special reward in ensuring that her clients are receiving the maximum possible benefit from every component of their daily life.
Michele Sharma, MSW, earned her Masters in Social Work from San Francisco State University. Michele has focused her work experience on providing care management to seniors and their families in a variety of local senior citizen organizations including Institute on Aging, Arcadia Home Care and Senior Access. As a social worker, Michele’s primary focus in Care Management is quality and consistency of care.
Independent Nurse Consultants:
Pat Lyons, RN, MA,has a Master’s Degree in Psychology as well as being a Registered Nurse in California. She has been a community health nurse for over 40 years. During her career she has worked in a variety of public, private and HMO healthcare settings in a career devoted to ensuring equal access for all. Her most recent work has been as a Nurse/Case Manager at an Adult Day Health Center helping elders and the disabled live at home and maintain their independence as long as possible. She is committed to easing the burden of concern and enhancing peace of mind for individuals and families by providing compassionate education, advocacy and support, resourceful problem solving and coordination of care.
Katherine Barron, RN, has been licensed as a Registered Nurse in California for over twenty years. The bulk of her experience has been in Nurse Management and Quality Assurance. She therefore has an understanding of providing superior services across a spectrum of clients. In addition Katherine has held several positions with Homecare firms, managing the homecare and care management teams and ensuring compliance with all levels of regulation. Katherine also holds many positions in service to her community including special education and health policy.
Administrative Staff:
James Merson is our Director of Operations. James has a Bachelor’s degree in Business and a Masters in Business Administration. James has over eight years of experience in business management and customer service.
Nate Adams is our Staff Coordinator. Nate has a Bachelor’s degree from Pitzer College and has worked in social services and employment related fields prior to joining Senior Alternatives. Nate also helps with on-call services and administrative tasks related to fiduciary work.
June Marinoff is our Fiduciary Administrator. June has a degree in Sociology from UCLA and has spent most her professional life in both TV production and Administrative work. June has been working since 2008 in a fiduciary capacity along side Janet Brush.
Marlee Taxy is our Administrative Accountant and Co-Fiduciary with Janet Brush. Marlee has a Master’s in Business Administration from USC and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from UC Berkeley. Marlee has been a CPA for 25 years and has advised a wide variety of companies of all sizes across many industries. Her fiduciary work focuses on finance management and accounting.
