About Us
DeLila (“Dee”) Bergan, J.D., M.A., President of E-Senior Services,
practiced as an elder law attorney for many years. As an elder law
attorney, she worked with older adults and their families in the areas
of planning for possible illness or incapacity (powers of attorney and
advance directives), providing care for incapacitated individuals
(guardianships and/or conservatorships, depending on the terminology of
your state), estate planning, the probate of estates after death and
governmental benefits (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and
Veterans’ benefits). She is also a family caregiver and has served as a
court-appointed guardian and conservator for individuals with cognitive
difficulties. In all her roles as attorney, caregiver and
guardian/conservator, she educated clients and families about elder
care issues and available resources and helped them find benefits,
services and products they needed.
Because her
legal cases were frequently intertwined with moral and policy questions
related to health care decisions, Ms. Bergan returned to school and
obtained a Master’s degree in medical ethics and health care policy.
This graduate experience gave her a better philosophical and
theological background from which to frame and consider those difficult
health care and policy issues she saw in her practice.
While working with her legal clients, Ms. Bergan found that too many
families struggled with aging-related challenges not only because of
the difficulties of the challenges themselves, but because they didn’t
have access to the information and resources they needed. In 2007, Ms.
Bergan founded E-Senior Services to offer the education on aging issues
and resources needed by older adults, family caregivers, and the
professionals who serve them.
Ms. Bergan now focuses her energies on proactively working with
families on elder care issues through the programs of E-Senior
Services, rather than reactively through the court system. She teaches
medical ethics as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of
Texas Southwestern medical school in Dallas.
Ms. Bergan is also a certified mediator with AIM Aging Issues Mediation. She works primarily in aging issues mediation, a relatively new mediation field which focuses on helping families and health care professionals resolve conflicts concerning eldercare issues while preserving their family or professional relationships.
Ms.
Acres has been in health care for over 30 years as an RN, and in 1998,
she obtained her certification as a case manager (CCM). Her case
management practice settings have included group health insurance, home
health care, Workers’ Compensation, disability management and
consulting. Her clinical practice experience includes acute care and
home health care. Her case management areas of practice include
geriatrics, brain injuries, spinal cord injury, chronic illnesses,
complex medical/surgical cases, wound care, oncology and transplants.
Ms. Acres brings her medical and case management expertise to E-Senior
Services and its many educational programs.
Ms. Acres is also the owner of Comprehensive Care Management, LLC, an independent case management practice. As a case manager, Ms. Acres is an advocate for clients and their families as they transition through the healthcare maze.
Ms. Acres is a member of the Case Management Society of America (www.cmsa.org) and has held multiple board positions in the DFW Chapter (www.dfwcmsa.com), including president, recording secretary and board member. She has served as co-chair of the chapter’s various conferences and committees. She was awarded the DFW Chapter’s Case Manager of the Year Award in 2006. Ms. Acres is also the facilitator of two National CMSA focus groups addressing post acute care issues and the entrepreneur in healthcare
