BIO Mark Wilson
For more than twenty-five years I spent my career heading the Leadership and Organization Effectiveness & HR functions at Fortune 500 companies, including PepsiCo, Taco Bell and YUM! Brands. In my corporate roles I coached and provided training for Senior Leaders on how to lead and create breakthrough results for their organizations.
After my Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s I decided to leave my career as a Leadership & Human Resources Executive to take care of my Mom full time at home. When my Mom received her Alzheimer’s diagnosis the neurologist said she was going to live roughly five more years. I was shocked and at that moment I decided I was going to do everything in my power to prove that neurologist wrong. My mom was going to live longer, and I wanted her to be happy. I had no idea how I was going to do this, but I was going to do it and I jumped right in.
I discovered that my love and passion for my mom, my ability to learn, and my career learning how to lead and create breakthrough results was the secret sauce for my mom to live much longer and happier than anyone expected.
From my corporate career I knew I could be a lot more effective in creating breakthrough longevity and happiness for my mom if I had an amazing team fully aligned with my mission. A good part of this book is how I found, developed, coached, and motivated my core and extended care team to bring this greater longevity and happiness mission to life for my mom.
Since Mom passed, I have done podcasts for the UCI MIND Alzheimer’s Center and other organizations. In fact, the encouragement I received doing these podcasts is what ignited the fire that I had inside of me to write this book. I also was asked onto the Advisory Board for the UCI MIND Center. I lead Alzheimer’s Support Groups, Advocate in Washington for Funds for Alzheimer’s Research, Mentor High School Students who want to share education and fundraising in the community and do my own fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Association.
I share in the book that late in Mom’s journey a tragic medically negligent surgical mistake shortened Mom’s long Alzheimer’s journey. Because of this medical error I became passionate about Patients’ Rights as well. As a result, I also serve as an active Volunteer Advocate for the Consumer Watchdog Group. I work directly with state legislators and others to help reduce our current epidemic of medical errors and champion patients’ rights in California.
I have great passion for sharing my care leader learning on Alzheimer’s care and Patients’ Rights to give families hope and confidence that they can make a huge difference in the lives of their loved ones. Just because there is still no cure for dementia doesn’t mean you can’t make a big difference in their lives and your life as well. I learned how and I am passionate to teach this to everyone.
My passion and ongoing actions to help others with Alzheimer’s care and with reducing Medical Negligence allows me to continue to celebrate my mom’s life and to continue to work through the grief of losing such an amazing mom, teacher, and overall human being.
boldcareleader.com
______________________________________________________________________________________
Jason Halstead spent more than 20 years in community-based healthcare. He watched seniors receive excellent clinical care, only to return home to environments that quietly put them right back at risk. That gap is exactly what he built Forever Home Keepers to fill.
Jason is a Florida Certified Residential Contractor, a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS), and trained by Age Safe America. His company serves seniors and families across the Tampa Bay area with home repairs, safety and accessibility upgrades, hurricane shutter installation, and home watch services — everything a senior’s home needs, from someone who understands both the health stakes and the structural ones.
Jason Halstead
Founder, Forever Home Keepers
813-421-5270
jason.halstead@foreverhomekeepers.com
foreverhomekeepers.com