Dena is passionate about helping people to live at home; on their terms and with as much safety and independence as possible. During her time as an Occupational Therapist working in hospitals and subsequently home health, she repeatedly worked with clients who expressed a desire to remain home, but who were unable to meet those goals. Dena saw the need for education and support around aging in place. As is typical of Dena, once she’d identified a problem, the next step was to create a solution! In 2021, after working toward this goal for many years, with some additional training and knowledge growth, Home and Able was born.

Dena has spent 12+ years as an OT;  with 8+ years working in home care and three years in a hospital setting including ICU level care, giving her a strong medical foundation to understand your specific medical diagnosis. She continues to proudly serve as the Community Health Care Coordinator for the Sharon Health Initiative.

She lives on a farm in rural Vermont with her husband and two small children and she and her husband run Broadbrook Mountain Trees.   Dena believes strongly in giving back to her community and serves as the Board Secretary of the Royalton Memorial Library and on her son’s elementary school PTO. She continues to advocate for aging in place education and financial support every chance she can.

Dena holds a Masters degree from Columbia University in Occupational Therapy and a B.S. in Psychology from Endicott College.

Her additional training and certifications include Certified Aging in Place  Specialist (CAPS), Executive Certificate in Home Modification (ECHM) & Universal Design. She is licensed, registered and insured and a member of the following organizations: American Occupational Therapy Association, National Association of Home Builders, Home Modification OT Alliance, National Board Certification of Occupational Therapists and Vermont OT Association.