ABOUT ESTES PARK DEMENTIA CENTER
Welcome to a safe, respectful, and engaging place
for people in the early to middle stages of Dementia.
Our participants spend time with trained caregivers providing respite to family & caregivers.
Caregivers will appreciate respite to keep themselves healthy while caring for their loved one.
Current Staff
Debora Unruh, Executive Director
Debora Unruh brings over 30 years of nonprofit leadership to EDDC. As founding Executive Director of a Pasadena residential program, she made a notable impact. After moving to Estes Park in 2023, Debora recognized the many needs of this senior community and committed to helping them. Her personal experience with her mother's dementia sparked her dedication to supporting affected families. With expertise in program development, fundraising, and community mobilization, Debora is well-equipped to lead EDDC and launch its new program in Estes Park. With a track record of visionary leadership and a passion for change, Debora is poised to drive EDDC forward, leveraging her wealth of knowledge and dedication to continue her life’s work of serving others.
Basia Buczkiewicz,
Program Manager and Volunteer Coordinator
Making Estes Park her home since 2022, Basia is new to the not-for-profit sector. Earning her B.S. in Biology and M.A. in Science Education from the Ohio State University, she brings to our program experience from 4 years of teaching science, 13 years of teaching yoga and 23 years in the corporate sector. After sharing end of life journeys with each of her parents, Basia found herself actively engaged in home care here in Estes these last few years. She is grateful for the endless support the community of Estes Park has extended and is eager to bring her skills (program development, communications and project management) along with an open heart, great enthusiasm and a passionate desire to give back to our community, to the launch and success of EDDC.
Current Board Members
Mary Mesropian, President
Mary Mesropian attended Fordham University in New York City and spent her career working in Human Services. In 2000, she became the Executive Director of Estes Valley Crisis Advocates and retired at the end of 2016. Because of her Human Services background, she was offered the volunteer position of Facilitator for Estes Park’s Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Group. One of the group members, frustrated with not finding programs for people living with dementia, tagged her to help create the Estes Dementia Day Center.
Jane Stuart, Secretary
Jane received her Occupational Therapy Master of Science degree from New York’s Columbia University and has worked with children and adults for more than 40 years. She is and has been the coordinator of Estes Park’s Social-Memory Café for more than five years, where trained volunteers gather with local persons diagnosed with Dementia and their spouses or caregivers for a supportive, social and joyful time together. She has learned so much from participants about how Dementia affects the whole family. She feels strongly that the Estes Dementia Day Center will fill a local void for our Estes Valley community. She has non-profit Board experience, including different executive committee positions.
Stephen Wood, Treasurer
Steve is a nationally recognized leader in managed care, Medicare and Medicaid, Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), adult day care and Special Needs Plans with a focus on institutional populations and long term care. He is excited to bring this background and experience to help bring Dementia Day Care to the Estes Valley. He is the co-founder and partner of Clear View Solutions, a consulting firm that specializes in working with clients to develop new and innovative programs throughout the United States. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and he holds a Masters Degree from Harris School of Public Policy. Steve and his wife Kathy have been part time residents of Estes Park since 2003.
Pete Sinnott, Board of Director
Pete is the caregiver to his wife and is on a mission to bring Dementia Day Care to the Estes Valley. Pete and Stephanie Sinnott retired to Estes Park in 2006 following a career in the landscape and golf construction industry. In Estes he led hikes for the YMCA for 10 years and has served as President for both the Rotary Club and the Estes Valley Land Trust.
Carl Robicheaux, Board of Director
Carl received his undergraduate degree from the University of Louisiana- Lafayette and his law degree from Loyola University of the South in New Orleans, Louisiana. Carl is the owner of Elkhorn Law Office, in Estes Park. He has been practicing law since 1987. Elkhorn Law specializes in estate planning, probate, real estate, HOA governance and general business advice. While providing help to his mother in assisted living, Carl noted that several elderly residents did not have access to lawyers and were incapable of making decisions for their support and care. In 2017, Carl decided to shift the focus of his legal work from litigation to consulting with elderly persons in need. During his mother’s residency in assisted living, Carl saw first-hand the emotional and physical toll individuals and family members experienced while struggling with cognitive deficits and dementia. Carl believes the EDDC will provide educational activities and support for persons suffering from dementia and their caregivers. Carl is currently or has been on the Board of Directors for various non-profits in Estes Park, including participation on committees and fundraising activities.
Chris Bruell, Board of Director
Chris received a degree in English from Eastern Illinois University and taught middle school in IL, IN, and MA. She earned an MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work in NYC. She worked for Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers and retired from the Psychiatry Dept. at the UIC College of Medicine at Peoria, IL. She has been trained in Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care model for Persons Living with Dementia. Chris’ husband, John, introduced her to Estes Park where they have a home.
Rebecca Chopp, Board of Director
Rebecca Chopp has devoted her life to education, leadership, and service. During her distinguished career in higher education, she was a professor and academic leader at Colgate University and Swarthmore College, and later served as Chancellor of the University of Denver.
Rebecca's passion for dementia advocacy grew from her own experience of living with what was diagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. She has served on the boards of the National Alzheimer's Association, the Colorado Alzheimer's Association, and UsAgainstAlzheimer's, and currently serves on the Board of Voices of Alzheimer's. She is the author of Still Me: Accepting Alzheimer's without Losing Yourself, a hopeful memoir about living with purpose, joy, and resilience after an Alzheimer's diagnosis.
Rebecca and her husband make their home in Estes Park, where she enjoys hiking in the Rockies, painting in oil, and working with local organizations that support people living with dementia, their care partners, and the arts. She is honored to serve on the Board of the Estes Park Dementia Day Center and believes deeply in its mission to provide connection, dignity, and hope for families in the Estes Valley.
Dennis Gellhaus, Board of Director
A retired United Methodist Pastor; Dennis spent 11 years in parish ministry and then chose elderly ministry- creating, building, managing, and caregiving 2 assisted living facilities for 22 years. These homes provided a warm, small home environment for those with physical and cognitive needs. Dennis is married to Robbie -a lifelong educator. 2 sons - Stephen and husband Gabe, and Aaron and wife Lauren and our grandson; Griffin. They reside in the Austin Tx. area.
Tara Moenning, Board of Director
Born and raised in Indiana I attended Indiana University, graduating in 1963 with a BS degree in Medical Technology. Phil and I married and moved around with his job in retailing. I worked in a hospital laboratory wherever we lived. Our family vacationed here for any years and we knew we wanted to live here. Hiking and enjoying the mountains became an integral part of our lives. In 1987 we moved here and purchased 13 acres along the Big Thompson River on Spur 66 and developed Aspen Brook Vacation Homes. Meanwhile I worked at the hospital for just over 18 years, retiring in 2006. Since that time I have been involved in our community through the Estes Park Medical Center Foundation Board, many Rotary events and projects, the Estes Park Museum Friends and Foundation, and St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church.
Madison Casey, Board of Director
Madison has been involved in many non-profits in Estes Park. He is the bookkeeper for several of them and chairs the investments of two local foundations. Madison has been a resident of Estes Park since 2000 and of Colorado since 1991. Coming from Lincoln, Nebraska, his parents introduced him to Estes Park in the 1950s and he summered in Estes and Evergreen through the mid 1970s. His career was in investments in New York City for 12 years and as a financial analyst at a financial services company in Denver for 5 years. He was able to retire early in 1997 to be an active board president of the music camp, Rocky Ridge Music Center, that he had attended for many summers in Estes Park. Madison has a BS in Business Administration (accounting concentration) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst certification and passed the CPA exam, but did not practice.
Thank You Community Partners & Funders!!
