Virginia Cash is a licensed master’s level geriatric social worker from Stony Brook, New York. Born to older parents, Virginia was the youngest of four children by nearly a decade, and as her parents aged, Virginia became the primary caregiver for both her mother and father.  Upon her father’s passing in 2005, and having witnessed the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease on her now late mother, Virginia entered the geriatric field with fervor to shed light on the realities of aging and caregiving.   She realized that the caregiving journey is all too often one of solitude and silent suffering, and she found herself feeling like Linda Loman from Arthur Miller’s famed Death of a Salesman, who laments that, “attention must be paid.”   With inspiration from her mother and support from the Three Village and greater Long Island community, since 2008, Virginia has been ensuring that caregivers and their families get the attention, guidance, and support they need.

Virginia is past Senior Co-Chair and current board member of the Senior Umbrella Network, an almost 200 member organization of business professionals involved in the field of seniors and aging, and she is also a member of the NYS Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, where she sits on the Aging Committee.  Virginia also serves on the Executive Board of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program whose mission is to provide volunteer opportunities for those 55 and older.  She is an active member of the Geriatric Professionals of Long Island, has traveled throughout New York State speaking on caregiving issues on behalf of Stony Brook University, and continues to present training programs to frontline professional caregivers at their Manhattan campus.   She hosts an annual Caregiver Education and Resource Fair, and also facilitates multiple ongoing caregiver support groups within her community.   

A mother of three children and the wife of a high school history and economics teacher, Virginia has seen how pervasive caregiving needs are in the Long Island community.  She has had parents of her children’s friends call for advice, she has counseled countless friends and colleagues, and she has had many other weak connections solidified based of the bond of caregiving.   Virginia understands that caregivers want their stories and their loved one’s illnesses to matter.   Indeed, that is the very reason Virginia continues to passionately champion caregivers throughout the community.   Virginia’s mother passed away in November 2014, and though her own time as a caregiver has come to an end, her work as a maverick in the caregiving field is reaching its spring. For her work, she has been recognized by  AARP as a Hometown Hero and was honored by Day Haven Adult Day Services at their annual Neighborhood of Caring Breakfast.

Virginia’s innovation in caregiving support methods and materials has changed the lives of hundreds of New Yorkers, and she continues to grow her private practice, where she customizes comprehensive care plan packages to ensure that attention is paid to every facet of care and quality of a loved one’s life.   For Virginia, giving good care starts with the caregiver, and she has made it her mission to revolutionize what it means to be one.