CLEARFIELD – Kathleen Gillespie, chief executive officer of Mature Resources Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging, has been appointed to a state-wide council on elder care by Gov. Tom Wolf.
Gillespie will serve as a member of the Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Council under the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.
According to the Department of Aging, the Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Council is charged with making recommendations on regulations, licensure, financing or any other responsibilities of the departments and agencies that relate to the commonwealth’s long-term services and supports system.
Established by Act 64 of 2015, and revised by Act 63 of 2021, the council replaces the Intra-Governmental Council on Long-Term Care in order to reflect today’s broader long-term care continuum.
The scope of the council includes all areas of long-term care, including, but not limited to, institutional care and home and community-based services.
Chaired by Secretary of Aging Robert Torres, the council is comprised of 35 members, including long-term care consumers, advocates, caregivers, providers and policymakers.
“I am pleased to appoint you as a member of the Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Council,” Wolf said in a letter to Gillespie.
“Please accept my best wishes for success in your responsibilities, and my appreciation for your dedicated service to the commonwealth.”
As required by the Constitution of Pennsylvania, Gillespie was sworn into this office by Clearfield County Judge Paul Cherry at the Clearfield County Courthouse in December.
Gillespie said of the appointment, “Senior care has been my passion for my entire career. Having the opportunity to serve on the state level, and to help improve care for all seniors in Pennsylvania is truly an honor.”
Gillespie has served as the chief executive officer of the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging since 2012.
As a licensed nursing home administrator, she has worked with elders all of her career in skilled nursing facilities, personal care homes, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and most recently in-home and community-based services.
Having a sincere passion for working with individuals living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias, Gillespie spearheaded the creation of the first secured dementia unit in central Pennsylvania and served as a charter member of the Dementia Specialty Council.
Gillespie has facilitated culture change in facilities in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Under her direction, three shared homes were created by the CCAAA that afforded an option for three elders in each home to transition from institutional living into a shared home in the community.
She acquired the Dimeling Senior Residents in Clearfield this year, preserving affordable senior housing in the area.
She has also established the Village of Hope in West Decatur in order to provide a supportive community and to create options for supportive housing for individuals in need.
This was driven by increasing numbers of individuals and families living with Alzheimer’s Disease, the early onset of cognitive impairment, elders providing support for adult children with disabilities, and the increasing number of grandparents and great-grandparents raising grandchildren.
Gillespie additionally established the Adult Day Center in Clearfield, which provides care during the day to older adults in need of support services.
This allows their family members or primary caregivers to work, run errands, or take care of household tasks while knowing their loved one is in good hands.
Gillespie’s term on the Long-Term Care Council runs until December of 2026.
