Caring Strategies was founded in 2007 and is owned by Jeanie Moores Tauss, a licensed clinical social worker, gerontologist, and certified care manager. She is joined by a team of highly educated and seasoned professionals who have decades of experience in guiding families in making wise decisions in a wide variety of care and health circumstances. Caring Strategies care managers adhere to a national code of ethics and do not accept referral fees of any kind.
JEANIE MOORES TAUSS, MSG, MSW, LCSW, C-ASWCM
Owner and Certified Care Manager
Jeanie was destined to work with older adults, beginning with an exceptionally close relationship with her grandparents and their friends, eventually fueling a fierce desire to help older adults maintain their independence and enjoy the highest quality of life possible. Caring Strategies’ SPARK! activities program was born out of this desire to bring back joy and new experiences to those in the later stages of life.
She is a licensed clinical social worker and certified care manager with over 30 years of experience guiding older adults and their families in making wise care decisions. She received her master’s degrees in gerontology and social work from the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, the oldest school of gerontology in the country. She also earned her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and is a Certified Dementia Care Partner®. She has special expertise in assisting persons with memory loss and their families and led an early-stage memory loss support group for many years. Jeanie’s experience includes work in geropsychology, memory clinics, hospital seniors’ programs as well as private practice. She grew up in Decatur and returned to Alabama after living on the West Coast.
JULIE SMITH, MM – Director of Operations
Julie’s wealth of experience includes over 15 years in senior care including medical and non-medical home healthcare. In 2011, she became a Certified Senior Advisor and continues to hold that distinction. Her background includes networking, marketing, and community education. She has been, and remains, a sought-after speaker for national, state, and local conferences and is well-versed in a variety of topics related to successful aging, dementia and resources for family caregivers. In 2017, she was appointed by the governor to serve a 3-year term to the State Respite Coalition as an advocate for family caregivers. Other volunteer positions include Executive Committee Member for the Huntsville/Madison County Council on Aging, Advisory Council Member for Community Action Partnership, Walk to End Alzheimer’s Committee Member, and Board Member for UG2 Ministry in Uganda. Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Judson College and a Master of Management degree from the University of Phoenix.
LAURIE HILL, BSN, RN – Care Manager and Nurse
Laurie graduated from UAB School of Nursing with a BSN degree, becoming a licensed nurse in 1994. Her first position as a new RN was in a skilled nursing facility in Huntsville 30 years ago. Although she went on to work in a wide variety of settings including nursing education, cardiovascular care, and family care, she always stayed connected with the field of geriatrics. Laurie joined the Caring Strategies team in 2017. In January 2024, she became a Certified Dementia Care Partner®. Caring Strategies clients appreciate Laurie’s calm, thoughtful approach combined with her wealth of nursing knowledge as she creatively meets their care needs. Her engagement with older adults, families, and children brings great joy and fulfillment to her life.
CARLA DURHAM, LMSW, MT-BC – Care Manager
Carla is a licensed master social worker and board-certified music therapist with over 20 years of experience in hospitals, hospices, clinics, schools and private practice. Carla’s unique blend of music therapy and social work skills richly enhances the care and wellbeing of her care management clients. Her playful sense of humor and can-do spirit energizes everyone she touches. A Huntsville native, Carla earned both her undergraduate degree in music therapy and her master degree in social work from The University of Alabama. In June 2023, Carla became a Certified Dementia Care Partner®.
ANGELICA GARGULINSKI, LPN– Care Manager and Nurse
Angelica is an experienced Licensed Practical Nurse and U.S. Army Veteran with hands-on nursing experience in a broad array of medical fields including inpatient cardiac care, intensive care, behavioral health, and outpatient internal and family medicine. Angelica also has several years of experience in nursing administration and care management in both home health and assisted living communities and is a Certified Dementia Care Partner ®. Her passion and warmth allow her to foster meaningful connections with her Caring Strategies clients as she leverages her wealth of experience, attention to detail, and efficiency to ensure each client receives the highest quality of service.
SUSIE TALBOT – SPARK! Activities Curator
Susie came to Caring Strategies with a wide range of experiences from her diverse career as a secretary, photographic retouch artist, medical transcriptionist, and published free-lance artist. Additionally, as a wife, mother, and grandmother, she has honed her skill of developing connections with individuals in her own unique way. She kindled a sensitivity and desire to bring a spark and light to others while caring for her elderly mother-in-law and mother in their later years. Sharing her love for art, using a wide variety of materials, she aims to encourage each person to find and reveal their own natural creativity through the SPARK! program. Memoir writing, collage, handmade cards are only a few of the projects that Susie has shared with our clients. She is also a certified Zentangles instructor and a Certified Dementia Care Partner.®
