Mary Donnelly is a dementia consultant and a former caregiver for her mother.  A past Board President for MemoryCare, Mary was a founding member of the MemoryCaregivers Network and, in 2010, stepped down from her board leadership to become the Network Coordinator.  In addition to running 4 peer caregiver support groups for MemoryCare, she writes and edits a bi-monthly e-newsletter, Caregiver Network News, and is part of the teaching staff for their annual caregiver education series.  In addition to her work at MemoryCare, Mary is on the staff of national dementia expert Teepa Snow, and holds multiple roles as Trainer, Consultant, Mentor, and Speaker; she is also a certified Validation Practitioner.   Mary serves on the Steering Committee of Dementia Friendly Western North Carolina, a grassroots organization promoting dementia awareness and education.   She co-facilitates five area support groups, provides family consulting and on-site staff dementia training for long-term care facilities, and is a dynamic speaker on dementia-related issues across the country.

When she’s not working, Mary can often be found on a hiking trail in the Blue Ridge Mountains, or when weather permits, on cross-country skis.  Mary lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her crooner husband Tom and their celebrity dog Sammy.

To contact Mary about the MemoryCaregivers Network, please email her at network@memorycare.org.