About Amy
Amy Cameron O’Rourke is a dedicated care manager with a passion for helping people & their loved ones find peace and joy as they age. Amy is the author of The Fragile Years (TM) and founder of O’Rourke & Associates and The Cameron Group (sold in 2019, now Arosa). She believes our elder years can provide a beautiful opportunity for connection, meaning, and joy.
Amy has over 40 years of experience, including 20 years operating The Cameron Group (a care management company), as well as a Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH) and a Master’s Certificate in Gerontology. She is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator and Certified Care Manager (CMC).
A selection of Amy’s leadership roles, recognition, and press:
- Board of Directors, Former President — Aging Life Care Association (ALCA)
- Former Board Member — Florida Chapter of ALCA
- Board Member, Former Chair — Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center
- National Entrepreneurial Achievement Award — American Express (2001)
- Entrepreneur Profile — Orlando Business Journal (2010)
- Selected as 15 Women Who Mean Business — Orlando Business Journal (2011)
- Speaker — TEDxOrlando (2012, 2015)
- Featured expert — Consumer Reports article, Elder Care and Assisted Living: Who Will Care for You?
- Featured expert — Emmy-winning TV show on Assisted Living, Blindsided
- Featured expert — Growing Bolder articles, TV segments, and radio broadcasts
Why Care Management?
Amy’s personal connection to this field began as a teenager, volunteering with her local Girl’s Club. When Amy brought the elementary school girls to a nursing home, she immediately identified the need to engage more with that community.
She also recognized her own comfort in that environment — she had been given the gift of loving working with older people. So she pursued a college degree in Recreation Management and found her way into the field of elder care.
Amy is driven by a desire to assist people getting the help they need — whether that’s the logistical information to resolve a specific situation, or the emotional support needed in the process of caring for an aging loved one.
When Amy faced this experience personally during her own father’s final years, she struggled to watch her once vibrant, charismatic, functioning parent slowly decline. But this challenge was also a reward; Amy knew how to approach the situation and was able to offer him the peace and comfort he needed.
Pairing her genuine affection for older people & their families with her training & experience in the field, Amy is a fierce advocate who is able to rally teams of experts to help ensure our elders are cared for according to their values & wishes.
Amy’s Book: The Fragile Years
Amy wrote The Fragile Years (to be published in 2021) to provide important information for people who need help managing the care of their loved one. An easy, accessible resource, this book offers practical steps and clear insights on how to navigate frustratingly complex systems, difficult choices, and emotional events.
Whether readers consult it in advance to prepare emotionally and logistically for future needs, or turn to it in tandem with unfolding incidents, The Fragile Years will support a better path forward — bringing readers a sense of empowered confidence that they’re making the best choices possible, based on the values and desires of their loved one.
Unfortunately, our medical and elder care systems are deeply flawed. It is confusing, frustrating, and disheartening — and The Fragile Years aims to be an impetus for improvement.
But while we fight for future improvements and important changes, we must also work within the current reality. We must advocate for our loved ones to make the best decisions for their individual needs & preferences. Care Management is a critical resource to address the legal, financial, and medical questions and decisions that arise as people live well into their 70s, 80s, and 90s.
A Vision of Hope
Amy firmly believes that our later years don’t have to be lonely or somber — and she has the firsthand experience to prove that they can be full of delight. For 7 years, Amy worked as the activity director at a nursing center where she had unlimited budget and resources “to make the lives of the residents meaningful.”
With the ability to provide entertainment, education, and connection through activities — including a daycare center, art teacher, music teacher, a haunted house for visiting elementary students (featured in People Magazine), visits from the local opera company, a petting zoo, and art shows in the dining room — Amy fostered joyful engagement with life for the people in the facility as well as the community beyond.
Her dream is for this to be the reality for everyone in their last years. To achieve that, we must work within the system to get the best care possible for our loved ones and make improvements for a better future.
As an Administrator of Health Services and Associate Executive Director in the continuing care retirement community for nine years, plus 20 years experience operating her own care management company, Amy knows the powerful impact of good, quality care on the lives of everyone involved.
Whether through direct involvement with elders & families or via her book, Amy strives to provide the knowledge, confidence, and support necessary to facilitate a peaceful, comfortable experience in our fragile years.
