Anna Ortigara

nna Ortigara, RN, MS, FAAN has focused her practice in the field of gerontology and Alzheimer’s disease for the past 30 years. She is currently the Director of Communication and Outreach for THE GREEN HOUSE® Project at NCB Capital Impact funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She has worked with older adults in nursing homes, sub-acute care, adult day care, acute care, and home care settings. Anna served as the Associate Director of Long Term Care Accreditation for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations; was the Director of Residential Care Services for the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and was the V.P., Campaign for Cultural Transformation at Life Services Network, Hinsdale, IL. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing; and is the creator and primary author of LEAP for the 21st Century LTC Workforce (a research-based program of MatherLifeways Institute on Aging) and BEST CARE A Workforce Model to support Person-directed Relationships in Long Term Care funded by an Illinois Department of Public Health Grant. She has developed and appeared in four videos related to workforce in LTC and care approaches to person-centered dementia care. She is frequent national and international speaker and presented at The International Eden Conference in 2008, AAHSA, The Pioneer Network Conference 2009 and as well as state and regional conferences. She presented at the Asia Ageing Forum in Singapore in January 2009. Anna is a registered Eden Associate.