Julie Schafer, Geriatric Care Manager

As Managing Director, Julie has been responsible for business growth and operations, delivering services to over 263,000+ elders.  Providing geriatric consulting, training services and fall preventive programs to hospitals and hospital systems, ambulatory care centers, national Medicare HMOs and State Medicaid.

As a Geriatric Care Manager, Julie works closely with medical providers, families and caregivers as well as social services, county and municipal governments including housing authorities, area agencies on aging, senior centers and senior nutrition sites.

Julie has collaborated on the development and implementation of fall prevention training modules, geriatric training and marketing programs, home modification programs, customized home modification and senior safety-oriented fall-risk assessment programs.

Dr. Karen Cascardi

Karen A. Cascardi, PhD is the Chief Strategy Officer with primary responsibilites in developing, communicating, executing and sustaining corporate fall prevention initiatives.  She had worked as a consultant and educator for ElderCARE for 10 years prior to becoming the CSO.

Dr. Cascardi recently retired after 20 years of service from South University as Director of Clinical Education for the Physical Therapist Assisting (PTA) Program in West Palm Beach, FL.  She worked at the university since 1997 and is still an Assistant Professor at the University in an adjunct capacity.  Dr. Cascardi has been lecturing on Balance and Vestibular Rehabilitation nationally since 2001.  For several years she worked closely with the Your Aging and Disability Resource Center (YADRC) PSA 9 and the Florida Injury Prevention for Seniors program (FLIPS) Department of Elder Affairs developing Fall Prevention Community Education programs. She developed the Balance and Vestibular rehabilitation program at Martin Memorial Health Systems in Stuart FL in 1997, where she also secured a $42,000 grant for the program.  She was the coordinator of Education and Community Programs there until June 2001 when she moved on to South University. 

Dr. Cascardi completed her B.S. in Education degree from Ashland University, PTA program from Lynn University, received her M.S. in Education with a concentration in Sports Medicine from Indiana State University, and her PhD in Health Sciences Education & Research at Touro University International.

Dr. Cascardi has served as PTA Director on the Board of Directors for the FL Physical Therapy Assn (2014-2018), Vice Chair (2013-14) and Chair (2014-15) of the Advisory Committee for YADRC.  To date she has dedicated 18 years of service on various committees to the National Physical Therapy Examination section of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. 

Dr. Cascardi has worked on a variety of fall prevention initiatives and is published. Additonally, she is in the process of co-authoring a therapeutic exercise textbook for physcial therapist assistants.

The ElderCARE Companies Co-Founders

Dr. David C. Schwartz (1939-2022) and Paula Smith

 David and Paula started the ElderCARE Companies in 1995, with a shared history of having lived through family members painful experiences with life altering and debilitating falls. It was through this passion to save the lives of older adults that ElderCARE's mission was created. Paula has retired from ElderCARE, however she continues to help older adults in the community by donating her time to charitable efforts and acts of great kindness.