Meet the Leadership Team

Christy Baynes is President and Lead Geriatric Care Manager of LifeCare for Seniors, LLC.  She has dedicated herself and career to helping seniors and their families.  Along with her education and professional experience, Christy has also cared for members of her own family with dementia and other chronic illnesses.

Christy holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from the University of Alabama as well as a Master’s in Business Administration and Master’s in Science of Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  She also holds a Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  Christy is a Member of the National Association of Aging Life Care Specialists.  She is certified as a Care Manager (CMC) by the National Academy of Certified Care Managers.  Christy is one of only two Certified Care Managers in central Alabama.

After completing her Bachelors Degree, Christy began her career in aging at the Applied Gerontology Program at the University of Alabama under the direction of Dr. Louis D. Burgio.  As Research Coordinator, she was responsible for the day-to-day management of several research grants, including studies on Alzheimer’s caregiving.  She continued her work on these grants as a Graduate Assistant for

Dr. Alan B. Stevens at the University of Alabama at Birmingham while pursuing her graduate degrees.

Christy then began her career in health care administration at East Alabama Medical Center.  As a licensed Assisted Living Administrator, she had responsibility for management, care planning, budgeting, marketing and staffing.  She operated three senior communities, which included over sixty independent living cottages; forty-two assisted living beds; and ninety-eight specialty care assisted living beds (dementia specific).  Christy’s leadership style was very hands-on and she spent many days and nights learning from her residents and their family members.  She was responsible for creating an educational program and support group for the community’s family members.  During this time, she also implemented the Multi-Disciplinary Care Team that consisted of managers from hospice (both inpatient and home hospice), home health, private duty and skilled nursing. Under her leadership, the Senior Communities scored a “99” on their accreditation survey from The Joint Commission.

In 2004, Christy was recruited as the Education Director for the Assisted Living Association of Alabama.  As Education Director, she was responsible for education development, administrator and staff training and consulting for assisted living communities across the state of Alabama.  She developed the association’s resource library, which included a policy and procedure manual; employee training and records manual; resident assessment and plan of care manual; and job description manual.  She also served as the Executive Director for the Board of Examiners of Assisted Living Administrators, where she was responsible for assisted living administrator licensure.

In the fall of 2006, Christy was recruited to work with MetLife Financial Services as a Financial Services Representative, where she specialized in long-term care insurance.  She assisted the management team train new representatives on long-term care issues and the basics of long-term care insurance.  She was a member of the national Certification of Long-Term Care specialists (CLTC).  Christy was one of the top five producers in long-term care insurance for the southeastern region of MetLife.

Christy also assisted ElderLaw Advocates, a division of the law firm a division of the law firm of Dempsey, Steed, Stewart, Ritchey & Gaché, LLP, as their Senior Elder Care Coordinator.  In 2009 she was appointed by Alabama Governor Bob Riley to serve on the state’s Long-Term Care Rebalancing Advisory Committee.

In 2010 Christy was recruited by Always There In-Home Care to implement a care management program to their existing in-home care practice.  Over the next two and a half years she grew their care management division and served as Vice President of Client Care and Education.  She was responsible for growing the agency’s three company locations while improving the quality of care for their in-home clients.

Christy started LifeCare for Seniors geriatric care management services for Nolan Stewart, PC elder law firm in November 2012.  Her primary responsibilities included:  client care coordination and care management, long-term care insurance claims, and continuing education provider for nurses, social workers and other allied health professions in the long-term care field.  In January of 2016, Christy formed LifeCare for Seniors, LLC and owns and operates the company as a stand-alone geriatric care management firm.

Christy is very active in her community and church.  She served on the Executive Board of Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama (ACA) from 2006 – 2015, where she received the Mitzi Kronenberg Service Award in 2008.  Christy was President of the Board from 2009 – 2012.  She currently serves on the Endowment Board for ACA.  Her husband, Allen, received the ACA 2016 Volunteer of the Year Award.  Christy also serves on a dementia respite care program steering committee with the UAB Department of Neurology, Memory Disorders Clinic and dementia respite care executives.

Christy is very active in her church, Canterbury United Methodist Church, and she currently serves as Lay Leader of Church Council and Co-Chair for the Canterbury Beeson Forum on Aging.  She is past Leader of the Senior Adult Council and Radical Hospitality Team.

She and her husband, Allen, reside in Birmingham with their two children.