About

About Susan Lanza

Susan E. Lanza, LNHA, is a nursing home administrator, an author, a national and international speaker, activities consultant and dementia expert.

Licensed as an administrator for 23 years, Susan was the Administrator of Llanfair House Nursing & Rehab Center in Wayne, NJ  for 10 years.  In 2001, the Llanfair House team opened, "The Front Porch™, a 60-bed dementia special care unit.  The unit has been the only one of its kind in the area and the first within the Saint Barnabas Health Care System.  The Front Porch™ unit has received awards and recognition including feature stories in the NJ Star Ledger, Advance for LPN Magazine and The Journal of Dementia Care (UK).

Prior to becoming a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, Ms. Lanza was an Activity Director for six years. Her Love of activities programming and writing led her to publish an activity textbook in 1996 through Delmar Press entitled, Essentials for the Activity Professional in Long-Term Care. The textbook is still used in activities training courses around the country and a second edition is planned. Ms. Lanza is an Activities Consultant Certified (ACC) through the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals. She does consulting work in the field

Susan has been a speaker at conferences including the Alzheimer’s Europe Conference in Paris, France (2006), Killarney, Ireland (2005), the National Alzheimer’s Association Conference (2004 & 2005) and the NJ Alzheimer’s Association Conference (2004, 2006, 2008 & 2009) as well as the National Activity Professional Association Conference (1997) and NJ Activities Professionals Association (2002, 2004, 2005 & 2006).

Susan launched her own publishing company, Buttonberry Books® in 2005. The first two books, which are part of the Nurturing Nuggets® series followed: Nurturing Nuggets® For Dementia Caregivers (2006, 2nd edition in 2008) and Nurturing Nuggets® For Nurses (2007).  Recently, a line of Nurturing Nuggets® Guided Imagery Audio CD's was released for:  Dementia Caregivers, Nurses, Activity & Recreation Professionals, Social Workers & Case Managers and Family Caregivers. Buttonberry Books is committed to producing products that support a cause so a portion of the profits from the Nurturing Nuggets® products are donated to a related charity or organization.

As a board member of the Activities, Adaptation & Aging Journal and committee member on the Greater NJ Alzheimer's Association Programs & Services Committee and Public Policy Committee, Susan keeps up with industry trends. Susan was honored by the New Jersey Activity Professionals Association in April 2008 with the Madison E. Weidner Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms. Lanza graduated from Douglass College, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.