Alzheimer’s Association Greater NJ Chapter Welcomes New Board Member

The Alzheimer's Association Greater New Jersey Chapter (AAGNJ), the leading volunteer-driven health organization in Alzheimer's care, support, advocacy and research is spotlighting people who make a difference in the fight to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia. We are proud to announce that Sheli Monacchio is a newly appointed member of the AAGNJ Board of Directors. Sheli’s story began when she moved herself into rapid action as a teenage caregiver when her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. With over 25 years of experience in senior care, Sheli is a respected leader in the field, currently serving as the Executive Director of Van Dyck Law Group — Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorneys — in Princeton, NJ. A Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) and Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer (CADDCT), Sheli is dedicated to improving the lives of seniors and their families through compassionate care and expert guidance.

Cheryl Ricci-Francione, executive director, AAGNJ, comments, “I am excited that as a new member of the Greater New Jersey Chapter’s Board of Directors, Sheli brings her passion and commitment to helping further our care and support initiatives, by lifting community awareness and education. Our Board members and volunteers help to drive the Association’s mission forward — to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.”

Sheli has extensive experience educating senior healthcare professionals throughout New Jersey, providing workshops on dementia, and facilitating an Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Seminar for professionals and families living with dementia. Her career in senior care has led her on a journey to help hundreds of families in the areas of assisted living, hospice, home care, skilled nursing and senior living placement. Her compassionate, client-centric approach helps her get to know clients and suggest practical, sustainable, and caring options for caregivers and isolated seniors.

Sheli is also the founder and President of Caring Connections of New Jersey, a NJ 501c3 charity whose mission is to support and educate seniors, their families, and the professionals who serve them throughout Mercer, Burlington, Middlesex, Somerset, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties.

Sheli explains, “I have always had a fondness for what the Alzheimer’s Association does because I was a teenage caregiver for my grandmother with no resources, and very little support. The fact that the Alzheimer’s Association provides so many caregivers with support, education, and resources is the reason I have been a supporter through the years. I’ve led walk teams, been a part of some amazing fundraisers, and worked with speakers from the Alzheimer’s Association. I made a promise to myself after my grandmother passed that I would dedicate myself to helping caregivers who had very little resources or didn’t know where to turn for help. Since then, I’ve led support groups, became an Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer to care professionals in Central New Jersey, and started a non-profit where support and education is in the forefront for those who care for an aging loved one. My grandmother is my why, and my driving force.”

Ricci-Francione concludes, “Thank you, Sheli, for all that you do to help families who are on the dementia journey. I am confident that as a new board member, you will strive to move our mission forward - to one day realize a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia. We look forward to your targeted efforts, on behalf of the Greater New Jersey Chapter and the nearly 190,000 New Jerseyans living with the disease and their 272,000 unpaid caregivers providing critical support.”

To learn how you can volunteer and affect the lives of people living with Alzheimer's and their caregivers, visit https://www.alz.org/nj/volunteers.