About

Putting The Pieces Together

The mission of Senior Care Management Associates (SCMA) is to assist older adults to live as independently as possible in a safe environment while maintaining their dignity and self esteem.

Deanna, Bill, & Caryn

Meet the associates

Caryn Utberg, CSA, CLTC, LTCCP
Owner & Professional Care Manager

Since 1999 Caryn has worked with seniors, their families and other professionals in the Adult Day Center, Assisted Living Community and Private-Duty Home Care arena. Caryn brings extensive experience on the “care” side of long-term care to her leadership of SCMA. With her caregiving background plus experience coaching long-term care providers locally and nationally, Caryn's expertise allows SCMA to work effectively with its clients and their caregivers - both family and professional caregivers.

She holds three prestigious designations:

Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)
Certified in Long Term Care (CLTC)
Long Term Care Claims Professional (LTCCP)

Caryn also has practical experience qualifying her to provide long-term care insurance and LTC planning services for adults and their families. She is a licensed LTC insurance agent in NC, partnering with the Comfort LTC agency to offer insurance solutions for advanced LTC planning from: Genworth, LifeSecure, Lincoln, Mutual of Omaha, National Guardian Live, Nationwide, StateLife, Thrivent, and TransAmerica. Caryn works with all insurance companys to help ease the often-confusing claims process.

"Ms. Utberg provided professional, knowledgeable, and caring customer service. She went out of her way to make sure we had the best customer service that she could provide." – Mr. Dale V. Goodman

Caryn serves on the board of directors for Wake County Resources for Seniors and is a co-facilitator of the Cure PSP support group of North Carolina. She is an active member of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors, the National Aging in Place Council - Triangle chapter, and Chapel Hill and Durham Eldercare Resources (CHADER).

Caryn grew up in Durham; she enjoys getting her hands dirty in her garden, growing orchids, and doing home improvement projects.

Deanna Ayers, BSW
Professional Care Manager, Social Worker

Deanna brings to SCMA her extensive social work experience in hospice, short-term acute rehabilitation, and long-term care. She earned her social work degree in 1991 from Middle Tennessee State University, and has done additional training in the area of child protective services.

"I want my clients to know they aren't alone. I consider myself to be their cheerleader and introduce myself that way. I believe in being very direct with people so they can make informed decisions. I may not always have an answer, there may not always be a perfect solution, but I can always listen, and often that helps work things out. I am an 'advocate'." - Deanna

We couldn't have said it better ourselves! Deanna's professional training, experience, and her focus on client care makes her a perfect fit with SCMA's mission.

Deanna is also a certified, volunteer Guardian ad Litem representing children in court in the Durham judicial district.

She is married to her college sweetheart, Chris, who doesn't always understand how she can become so close to complete strangers. They are both SEC sports fans.

Mandy Summerson, MS
Professional Care Manager, Gerontologist

Mandy is a Gerontologist and has worked as Executive Director of a non-profit organization assisting older adults to "age in community". She has also spent time working with a home care agency as Director of Client Relations. She volunteers her time with hospice care and is currently President of the Village to Village Network.

Her prior work included program manager at the Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Federation and worked as the Business Manager of the The Lerner Jewish Community Day School. Mandy's life experience caring for her father with dementia led her to return to school to obtain her Masters in Gerontology.

"My life’s work is devoted to helping older adults create and live the lives they want. Supporting them to maintain autonomy, productivity, and the ability to remain safely at home for as long as possible. Offering a listening ear and a hand to hold, literally and metaphorically. Being an advocate." - Mandy

Mandy is also a member of the Gerontological Society of America, Southern Gerontological Society and National Aging in Place Council - Triangle Chapter.

She is married and has two teenage boys who are very active in sports and as a family enjoy watching all kind of sports including, football, basketball, soccer and the latest love is hockey!

Bill Comfort, CSA, CLTC, LTCCP
Insurance Consultant - TheLTCpro(r)

As a former radio and TV journalist, Bill has a unique ability to clearly communicate the many issues surrounding planning and claims issues in the world of disability, long-term care, Medicare, and health insurance.

Bill is the owner of Comfort Long Term Care, SCMA's go-to resource for LTC insurance and other LTC planning and financing options. We are pleased to welcome his expertise and consulting services for our care management clients especially in the areas of Medicare enrollment and Medicare supplement decision-making as well as disability and LTC insurance claims advocacy.

Bill has been in the insurance industry since 1991. He has sold LTC insurance for more than 20 years and has focused exclusively on LTC planning and LTC insurance since 2000. Only a handful of LTCi specialists in the country have as much experience. He holds the prestigious Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and Certified in Long-Term Care (CLTC) designations and serves on the national teaching faculties of both organizations. He has also created the Long-Term Care Claims Professional (LTCCP) training program that is focused on improving the claims side of LTC insurance.

Bill hosts the weekly broadcast & podcast show: Aging America Radio with a focus on a wide range of topics supporting "successful aging".

Bill has four adult children with two in college and two of whom are "off the family payroll". He loves college basketball as a die-hard Kansas University alumnus with a secondary love of the UNC TarHeels - as long as they're not playing the Jayhawks! He collects model trains from Europe.

Amber Remington, MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC
Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

SCMA is pleased to offer our clients access to advanced mental health nurse practitioner services by appointment only. Amber is also available on-call to assist our care managers with complex mental health situations.

Amber is a board certified mental health nurse practitioner. She practices psychiatric nursing in a hospital emergency room and has experience in high-risk, inpatient hospital, outpatient psychiatric, and clinical settings. Amber received her undergraduate nursing degree from the University of North Carolina - Charlotte, and her graduate degree from the University of Cincinnati.

Amber and her husband Kenny enjoy spending time with their two dogs. In her free time, she enjoys scouring for flea market finds and doing Pintrest projects.

J. William (Bill) Crittenden, MPA, DMin
Founder

As the founder of SCMA, Bill brought to our business his many years of counseling, pastoral, and senior care facility administrative experience to create our unique, holistic approach to care management - caring for the full person AND their loved ones.

As we continue to serve our clients according to Bill's vision of professional care management, we are thankful for his leadership over the years and wish him well in his retirement.