November 25, 2020

Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks

A Guide to AuthoraCare’s Services

Now Streaming On-Demand | Originally Aired 11-24-2020

November is Hospice and Palliative Care month, National Family Caregiver Month and the start of the holiday season. The holiday season can bring many challenges and much for us to be grateful for, especially during this time of COVID-19. We will learn about the services of AuthoraCare Collective, when the time might be right for a referral to services and how caregivers can receive needed support.

Watch the Webinar On-Demand

Learning Objectives

1.  Learn about what services are available and how to make a referral.
2. Learn what signs and changes in a loved one might mean it is the right time for Palliative Care or Hospice Care.
3. Understand the stresses of being a caregiver and what can be done to reduce it.

Meet Our Speakers

Shirley Cates, NP-C, has been a Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner with Authoracare Collective for more than two years. A native of Greensboro, Shirley earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1983 from N. C. A&T State University. Later, in 2010, she earned her master’s degree in Adult and Geriatric Nurse Practitioner from UNCG. During her varied career in nursing, Shirley focused on cardiac care, chemical dependency, ER, OR, and trauma ICU nursing. As a Nurse Practitioner she has focused on internal medicine, home preventative medicine and palliative care.


Christin Gusler, NP-C, is a Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner board certified in Palliative Medicine with Authoracare Collective. A native of Bridgewater, New Jersey, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Nursing at UNCG in 1990 and spent most of her nursing career at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital in the Emergency Department. She worked as a Hospice nurse for Hospice of Alamance – Caswell before returning to school for a master’s degree in nursing. She obtained her nurse practitioner in 2008 from UNCG. She dedicated 6 years to rural health at Caswell Family Medical Center where she initiated a Primary Care House Call program. She transitioned to palliative care in 2013. Christin’s says primary care helped hone her understanding of the “science” of medicine while palliative care has taught her the “art” of medicine. Her goal is to advocate for patients with families, and to give them knowledge, information, and insight to be able to make their own best choices.


Mary Manley is the Director of Sales and Marketing with AuthoraCare Collective. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Speech-Communications and Political Science from North Carolina State University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Elon University Anatomical Gifts Program and is an active participant in a number of senior citizens advocacy initiatives.
Her work in the senior care industry has turned her passion into a 20-year career of advocating for the disenfranchised, compassionate and quality care for seniors, and the rights of everyone to die with dignity and respect. Having recently lost her beloved mother, Mary knows, firsthand, the value of advanced care planning and what excellence in end-of-life care means to patients and their families.


Gayle Scott, MSW, LCSW is Director of Family Services for Authoracare Collective’s East Campus based in Burlington, NC. Gayle has over 25 years of experience in hospice and end of life care, caring for patients and families served by both Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro, Hospice and Palliative Care of Alamance Caswell and the now merged organization Authoracare Collective. Gayle has a particular interest in Advance Care Planning. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and holds a Master Degree in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University.


Risa Hanau, LCSW is the Director of Education at AuthoraCare Collective. Risa is a seasoned presenter and teacher in the area of end-of-life and ethics. She is a member of the Cone Health Ethics Committee. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker by training and holds a Master of Social Work from The University of Pennsylvania.