Senior Steps for Elder Years provides information, educational resources and tools to assist seniors, family and care advocates in planning to better navigate the health care system. Educational materials, designed by long-term care professionals, provide step-by-step guidelines for making the decisions we all need to make to assure future quality of care and life.
Our Mission
To improve the quality of life for seniors, elders, disables individuals, care advocates and families by promoting care through education.
Our Goals are to:
 Provide education on the various levels of care available for the older population
Promote planning for elder health
Encourage preparation of health care directives
Offer tools to assess health care providers
Provide resources to track, communicate and expedite the delivery of health services
Save time, reduce anxiety and stress for seniors and their families
Reduce cost
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 | Cindy McDaniel
Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, Author, Speaker, Senior Health Consultant
Cindy McDaniel, founder of Senior Steps for Elder Years, specializes in educational resources that promote quality of care and quality of life for seniors, elders, care advocates and their families.
Cindy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Radford University. She is a licensed nursing home administrator in Virginia with more that 10 years of experience.
Throughout her career, she has opened and managed skilled nursing facilities, developed policies and procedures and worked with many seniors, care advocates and families to promote quality of care. She has experienced long-term care from both a professional and a personal vantage point.
"As the daughter of aging parents, I want to promote their longevity and quality of life by allowing them to plan and control their future health care needs. Understanding how the health care system works and preparing to navigate this system will reduce stress and anxiety for all." -Cindy McDaniel
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 | Debra Woody
Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, Author, Speaker, Senior Health Consultant
Debra has been a nursing home administrator for 10 years and currently works as a nursing home administrator in Virginia. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a minor in Health Care Administration from Mary Baldwin College.
Debra sees first-hand the apprehension of placing a loved one in a nursing home. She encounters family care advocates who are seeking placement options but do not have the medical or financial information needed to help them make decisions. It is her goal to educate seniors, care advocates and families to facilitate a smooth transition, whether coming to a nursing home from a personal home or the hospital.
"Throughout our lives we have provided for our children. As we age and roles reverse, our children become the provider. What is the final gift that we as parents can give to our children? As a soon to be senior myself, a mother and the daughter of an aging mother, I want to eliminate this stressful situation for my family." -Debra Woody
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| George Smith Jr., MD, Medical Advisor
A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. George R Smith Jr. has served as a family physician in Southwest Virginia for nearly 50 years. In 1977, Good Housekeeping magazine selected him runner-up Physician of the Year. He is the past president of the Southwest Virginia Medical Society, the Virginia Academy of Family Physicians, The Virginia Health Quality Center, and is presently president of the Mountain Valley Charitable Foundation. He recently retired to pursue other interests, especially senior health quality and lifestyle management.
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 | Susan I. Jean, Legal Advisor
Susan is a Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation, the only organization accredited by the American Bar Association to offer certification in the area of elder law. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), sits on the Board of Directors for the Peninsula Pastoral Counseling Center, and is a member of the Peninsula Estate Planning Council. She is past president of the Virginia Chapter of NAELA, and of the York-Poquoson Bar Association and receives referrals from professionals throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Ms. Jean focuses her practice in the field of elder law, wills, trust, estate planning and the probate process. She offers a full complement of services including health planning as it relates to Medicare, Medicaid and social security and elder abuse.
Jean & Luscomb, LLC
Tidewater Estate Planning and Elder Law Center
111 Cybernetic Way, Suite 205
Yorktown, VA 23693
(757) 898-0898
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 | James R. Montgomery, Esq., Legal Advisor
James R. Montgomery became a Virginia lawyer in 1994. He concentrates his law activity in the fields of elder law, wills and trusts, and finalizing estates. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he served for thirty years as director of institutional research and planning at The University of Tennessee and at Virginia Tech. His law degree is from Dickinson College of Law, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and his Ph.D. is from Columbia University, New York, New York.
Montgomery & Associates, PC
1901 South Main Street Suite 3
Blacksburg, Virginia 24060
(540) 552-1663
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 | Dr. Louis D. Parham Jr. MD, Medical Advisor
A graduate of the Medical College of Virginia, Dr. Louis D. Parham Jr. has served as a family practitioner for 40 years. Dr. Parham holds a Master of Divinity degree and is an Ordained Baptist Minister. He is dedicated to serving the needs of others. Throughout his career he has served in many leadership roles within the community including: Chief of Staff at Mary Immaculate Hospital, assistant clinical professor of family practice at Eastern Virginia Medical School and he chaired the Medical Ethics Committee at Sentara Careplex Hospital. Dr. Parham serves on staff at Sentara Careplex Hospital and Mary Immaculate Hospital and he is the attending physician for many nursing home residents. He focuses on issues to improve the quality of care for senior adults and their families.
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