Our Team
Joan Harris | Lizzy Carr | Julia Nickrosz | Jean Clements
Our Core Values
Commitment to our clients, families, and our team.
Compassion for all who are facing challenges.
Excellence in all we do.
Professional Integrity. Trustworthy, working to the highest ethical standards.
Collaboration as the way we practice.
Joan Harris, LSW, MBA, CMC
Founder, managing Partner
Fellow of the Leadership Academy, Aging LIfe Care Association
After graduating from Boston College, Joan started her 40-year career in elder care as a Case Manager for a Massachusetts state funded Area Agency on Aging. This fundamental and valuable experience helping vulnerable seniors to remain in their homes avoiding premature institutionalization, training in case work as well as protective services ignited her lifelong passion for working to benefit the lives of older adults and their families.
Joan has a dedicated focus in working with adults over 60 who have complex life issues, mental health challenges and Alzheimer’s Disease and related disorders. As a highly skilled Social Worker, she advocates for her clients, mediates family dynamics, and empowers her clients to participate in their decision making. She provides coaching and creative strategies to support her clients’ care partners with the focus on meeting the client’s goals. Her varied experience as a Discharge Planner in a hospital, marketing sub-acute services in a skilled nursing facility and marketing retirement and assisted living communities as well as working within the private home care industry all led to developing her knowledge and ability to help clients navigate complex systems. During the past 17 years Joan has worked as an Aging Life Care Professional growing her expertise working with older adults of all socioeconomic levels.
In 2017 Joan founded Symphony Care Management, LLC, a full-service Care Management and Life Planning Company. She wanted to serve her clients and their families by providing the highest quality of care following her association’s strict code of ethics and professional standards. She developed Aging GPS: Goals, Priorities, Strategies, a specialized planning program for older adults knowing that if she can engage with older adults sooner, providing education of options, and an understanding of the preventative steps they can take for their future, they may avoid many of the problems that happen when aging without a vision of the future and a roadmap to get there.
Respected by her peers, she served on the Board of Directors for The New England Chapter of the Aging Life Care Association from 2017 through 2023 serving as president in 2018. Joan was awarded the highest designation in her association, a Fellow of the leadership Academy currently given to only 34 out of 1700 Nationally Certified Care Managers across the country. This title requires Joan to continue her dedication to the education about elder care in the community at large and mentorship of newer colleagues.
Joan enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, seeing what will grow in her garden and traveling to new destinations.
Harris, J. (2024, October 09). Founder, Managing Partner. Symphony Care Management, LLC.
Elizabeth Carr, R.N., CMC
Aging Life Care Manager
Lizzy earned her degree in nursing from the Regis College School of Nursing, alongside a degree in business from Middlesex Community College, and has worked for almost a decade in nursing and clinical care supervision and management. As a result, she is able to effectively collaborate with both medical and non-medical professionals alike. Lizzy works closely with Symphony Care Management founder Joan Harris and is a valued member of the strong, caring, and committed Symphony team.
Lizzy joined Symphony Care Management in 2021 after she recognized the limitations inherent in her previous positions - there always seemed to be things she wanted to do for her clients that the job description didn’t have room for. Care management allows Lizzy to take a more holistic approach to caring for her clients. Clients expect their care manager to attend to their serious and complex issues and Lizzy is committed to directing her time and attention to clients in ways that matter. She won't stop until the job is done.
One of her favorite aspects of her work is connecting with patients on a deeper personal level, which helps her better understand and attend to their needs. Talking to clients in her care about their lives - their youth, their wedding day, their children - allows her to provide the individualized service they deserve. Lizzy believes in focusing on the patient through the entire process. To her, every client should feel like her ONLY client, without limitations or diversions.
Outside of the office, Lizzy is devoted to her family, showing her two young children the world through exploration, dance, adventure, and hands-on activities. Seeing the world through their excited young eyes brings her utter joy. She also loves live music, mystery novels, and her guilty pleasure, reality TV. When she and her husband are able to steal the occasional date night, they love to explore new restaurants.
Julia Nickrosz, CDP
Dementia Specialist and Aging Life Care Manager Associate
Julia brings nearly two decades of experience in the field of aging. Specifically, Julia has a high-level skill set and deep knowledge working with individuals who have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease and related disorders. She worked her way up from Activities Director to Assistant Executive Director of a premiere Adult Day Health Program overseeing multiple sites. Before joining Symphony Care Management, she served for 9 years as the Director of a Memory Care program within an Assisted Living community. It is within this role we collaborated with Julia extensively and watched her go over and above for her residents.
As the Director of the Memory Care program, Julia trained and supervised the direct care staff in effective strategies to reduce agitation, promote dignity and provide the highest quality of life for her residents.
At Symphony Care Management, Julia will work closely with our clients and families to support them as their loved ones experience changes and progressions with their memory loss. Julia will create, implement, and monitor individualized and meaningful engagement programs for our clients as well as holistically work as their Aging Life Care Manager to increase their enjoyment of life and support their goals. Julia will also coach and educate families with proven strategies. Julia’s passion and commitment to this work is an excellent fit with Symphony Care Management’s core values.
Julia finds joy in the simple pleasures of life. Spending quality time with her husband, two children, and two dogs is at the heart of her happiness. Whether relishing the warmth of summer, enjoying days at the beach, experimenting with cooking, or carving out moments for exercise and meditation, she cherishes the delicate balance between her professional dedication and personal well-being.
Jean Clements, CDES
Practice Manager, Certified Dementia Engagement Specialist
Jean has over a decade of experience working in the senior services industry and over 25 years working in a professional office setting at a management level providing the highest standard of client support services. Her work experience has always given her the opportunity to provide assistance to people, whether it has been with clients or families. Jean always goes above and beyond. These experiences have given Jean the aptitude to work with seniors with compassion, patience and professionalism.
Jean is excited to pursue her career working in elder care. By providing administrative and client support to the Symphony Care Management professional team, clients and families, she can focus on serving the needs of the aging community.
In her spare time, Jean enjoys spending time with her family, her dogs, traveling, and exploring al fresco dining with her husband; always looking for that perfect water view location to dine. Jean also tries to keep active with outdoor activities such as bicycling, kayaking and taking walks on sandy beaches. Jean can be reached at Symphony Care Management Monday – Friday, 9am – 1pm.