Nancy Nicholson traveled a circuitous route to her present position as a licensed social worker. She dropped out of college to go to work and spent years in a variety of careers, i...view moreNancy Nicholson traveled a circuitous route to her present position as a licensed social worker. She dropped out of college to go to work and spent years in a variety of careers, including nurse’s aide, career counselor, and operations manager of an interior landscape company. When her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she became one of several family caregivers. She watched her father deteriorate from a highly intelligent, strong, and independent man to a body lying in a nursing home bed, not recognizing anyone and unable to control his bodily functions. She also saw the toll the disease took on her mother, the primary caregiver, and the other family caregivers. What she saw made such an impact on her that she decided to return to college and devote her life to caring for the elderly, particularly patients with dementia. She graduated from Texas A&M International University with the degree Bachelor of Social Work and earned her license as a Licensed Bachelor Social Worker. For the past seven years, she has worked for a chain of nursing homes, first as a social worker in a facility and currently as a social services consultant, where one of her primary duties is training nursing home staff.view less