LaVon K. Lenaway, MA
Owner, Gerontologist, Educator, Consultant
There was a day, in my childhood, when I was motivated by a penny and angel food cake. As the youngest of four daughters, I became in my early years the default partner to my mother, who was motivated by her genuine kindness to regularly visit the seasoned saints of our family living in skilled care communities in the little farm town of Pella, IA. Although reluctant, with my mother’s coaxing, I would have a change of heart–especially when we visited Great Uncle Lupe. At every visit, he would reach deep down into his pockets and hand me a penny. With pride, I knew I would later add it to my piggy bank and I would have a temporary change of attitude about visiting “the old people’s home,” as we used to call it. In similar fashion, the plodding crawl up the front porch of my Great Aunt Martha’s house quickly became much more tolerable when I learned she had just made her famous-to-our-family angel food cake from scratch. “There are 12 eggs in that recipe,” I remember her explaining. The amazing wafts of cake filled the historic Victorian house!
Despite my childlike aversion to older adults, a very important value of respect for the elderly, the vulnerable, or “the least of these” was nurtured in me from an early age and is largely the reason I am in the career of elder care today. Over the years “tolerable” turned to “enjoyable” and “passionate,” and work with any other age group proved second to the comfort level I had with older adults, even the ones who don’t like to bake cookies and give hugs like my grandmas.
Having obtained a Masters of Arts Degree in Gerontology from Concordia University, along with over 24 years of experience in advocacy, dementia care, and education, my enjoyment of this field continues to grow and solidify. This is my wheelhouse.
My career has brought me to a wide range of positions within Gerontology, each one building upon the next. With a foundation in leading therapeutic activities for seniors and 10 years as a Case Manager for 165 clients at The Kenneth Young Center in Elk Grove Village, a career path was born! I fell in love with helping address concerns, the importance of finding the least restrictive environment, promoting the right to self-determination, the value of education and linkage to resources for informal caregivers, and the important use of humor and warmth. All these values started working together to make for fertile ground in elder care. Following these roles, I held the position of Associate Director of Social Services at Mayslake Village in OakBrook, IL, Independent Living HUD (Federal Housing and Urban Development), which provides housing for low-income seniors.
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Trinity Christian College Social Work Department Advisory Board
Batavia Chamber of Commerce
Batavia Chamber of Commerce Connectors Group
Kane County Senior Resources Group
Dementia Friendly Elgin
Southeast Kane County Triad
Elgin Triad
Start Something Studio, Batavia
Geneva Networking Group
Fox River Networking Group
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One of the things that feels the most important to me is that I am not beholden to any other business for referrals or incentives. I believe that every individual has a different story and so it's important to me that there is no bias or motivation except for what benefits your loved one’s situation. Discussing specific details about your loved one will help us navigate what the right path is for them, not other financial stakeholders. My success depends on how supported and successful you feel when all the navigating and decision-making is done.
In addition, I bring to the table the experience from both sides of the conversation. With a mother and father who have passed, each having a long list of comorbidities, including vascular dementia for my mother, I know firsthand what it is like to be a family caregiver–including the emotions it entails. In addition, my experience as a professional provider means I may be able to explain the “inside baseball” of memory care to you, free of any marketing motivation or need for retention. Ideally, my role is to be an unbiased advocate to help you navigate through the weeds of senior services so that, ultimately you can return to your role as daughter, spouse, partner, family member, or friend. You can sleep well at night, knowing you are and have done the very best you could at all points along the journey of elder and dementia care. Finally and ideally, amidst the weeds, you will have the opportunity to pause, look up, and see beautiful and memorable things along the way.
Teaching Sociology of Aging at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights for three semesters, along with teaching dementia care at Silverado and teaching Advanced Dementia Training at Belmont Village on a monthly basis, is the WHY behind starting this small business. I isolated the parts of elder and dementia care that I love, and they align with my calling to advocate for the “least of these” and my desire to raise the bar on senior care to the level I would want for myself. I believe that education, support, and individual consultation are all steps toward making the world a better place for those we love and, eventually ourselves.
In addition to appreciating pennies and homemade angel food cake, when away from elder care, I enjoy spending time with my husband Mark; visiting family in Iowa, central Illinois, and Michigan; strolling through vintage and home decor markets and small businesses; and baking family favorites. Mark and I love traveling, challenging each other in Monopoly and Rummikub, and watching true crime shows. I particularly am fond of tending to my flowers and hummingbird feeder in the summer and volunteering alongside our church in Batavia, IL.
I am fortunate and proud to have been employed by two top-shelf, world-class memory care communities, Silverado Memory Care Community of St. Charles, IL, and Belmont Village Senior Living in Carol Stream, IL. As a Director of Resident and Family Services and Memory Programs Coordinator, respectively, I was given the opportunity to thrive as a Dementia Care Specialist at Silverado and a Certified Dementia Trainer for Belmont Village.
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