The Inspire Care team consists of compassionate licensed and certified professionals that include nurses, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, and allied staff called Care Manager Assistants. We all specialize in serving seniors and the disabled to address their needs to age in place.
We bring expertise to our clients and their families in dementia, medical or functional impairment, complex medical conditions, benefits and entitlements, abuse/neglect, housing, and home care assistance.
A team approach is fostered for each client, allowing us to match individual needs to the best qualified Inspire Care team member as well as offering the advice and direction of multiple professionals.
Rebecca Auyer PT, CMC, CDP, Aging Life Care Professional
Becky is a Licensed Physical Therapist and an Advanced Professional member with the Aging Life Care Association (ALCA). She holds a Care Manager Certification (CMC) through the National Academy of Certified Care Managers and is a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP). With over 40 years of Home Care and Geriatric specialization, she is knowledgeable of the challenges facing the aging population and passionate about assisting them to “Age Well”.
Her personal care management journey involved the care and medical advocacy for her mother who handled 25 years of Parkinson’s Disease with grace and determination. She was the inspiration for Inspire Care.
Becky has developed close affiliations with numerous home health agencies, businesses, vendors and service providers and makes sure that she recommends the very best for her clients. She believes that you become “Family” when you enlist the compassionate services provided by the Inspire Care Team.
Becky has made a number of community and professional presentations on care management, importance of caregiving, fall prevention, and Parkinson’s Disease care at home. She was a 2019 Excellence in Healthcare Awareness honoree in the category of “Impact Player” among Central New York healthcare professionals. Becky is currently the Syracuse Unit Leader for the Aging Life Care Association New York Chapter, and serves on the Professional Advisory Committee for Hospice of Central New York and the Finger Lakes.
Becky graduated with honors from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy. She is married and has four children and nine grandchildren.
Jackie is a Licensed Physical Therapist and has been with Inspire Care since 2019. She has worked in home care for over 30 years and especially enjoys one-on-one contact with people where it counts most, in their home. She is able to provide care management to help clients benefit from resources, perhaps unknown to them, and facilitate transitions or maximize performance dependent on their situation. She loves the opportunity to provide more choices for clients as they go through the aging process.
Jackie has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Upstate Medical University, Master of Science degree in exercise physiology from Syracuse University, and Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Upstate Medical University. She was born in and remained in the Syracuse area her whole life. Jackie enjoys spending time with her family and outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, and paddle boarding in the summer and skiing in the winter.
Sharon Caruana, LPN
Sharon is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) with over 40 years of experience. She joined the Inspire Care team in 2018. Sharon started her career in the health care field as a Home Health Aide, gradually moving into tele-monitoring as her love for older individuals and their families grew. Since being with Inspire Care, she has provided loving and compassionate personal care, medication management and medical advocacy for clients. Her calm and experienced presence is viewed by those she serves as an extension of her faith in God, always going the extra mile to make sure her families and clients are well supported.
Sharon earned her LPN degree from the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) while working full time, caring for her aging parents and supporting her daughter who has battled multiple sclerosis (MS) for many years. She is the mother of four grown children, grandmother of four, and great-grandmother to five.
Deborah Jacques, PT, DPT, CMC, Aging Life Care Clinical Coordinator
Deborah is responsible for care management compliance, assisting team members in appropriate client care services, staff training, and providing care management and physical therapy duties. She is a Licensed Physical Therapist with experience in Home Care, Sub-Acute Care, and Orthopedic and Neurological Rehabilitation. She holds a Care Manager Certification (CMC) through the National Academy of Certified Care Managers and is an Advanced Professional member with the Aging Life Care Association (ALCA). Deborah has been on the Inspire Care team since 2021. She is certified in Selective Functional Movement Assessment and Associative Awareness Technique. Deborah continues to expand her skills and knowledge with ongoing education to help her clients meet their goals. She loves getting to know her clients, their unique strengths, abilities and goals in order to tailor their personal exercise program. Deborah is passionate about helping people live and move their best so they can maintain their independence.
Deborah graduated from Upstate Medical University with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2012.
Deborah Lynch, RN, BSN, Aging Life Care Manager
Deb is a Registered Professional Nurse with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. After retiring from Nascentia Health in Syracuse (formerly the Visiting Nurses Association of Central New York) after 35 years of a rewarding career in Home Care, she joined Inspire Care in 2018. Deb’s focus has always been to assist and support seniors and their families in managing medical conditions safely in their home. She now enjoys using her extensive home care experience with the Inspire Care team while maintaining a focus of helping those she serves to “age in place” with dignity.
Cheryl Metz, CMA Coordinator
Cheryl is our CMA (Care Manager Assistant) Coordinator, responsible for day-to-day contact with CMA’s, scheduling and assists in matching CMA’s with clients. She also assists with administrative duties. Cheryl joined Inspire Care in 2017 as an Administrative Assistant providing client/customer service duties and office related tasks. In 2019 She was promoted to CMA, assisting clients in their homes with non-medical tasks, transportation, and other companion services. Cheryl has training in caring for clients with Parkinson’s Disease and dementia.
Cheryl has the passion and dedication to help each of her clients achieve their care management goals. Her desire for caring for others began with taking care of her mother with dementia and other medical conditions.
Cheryl has an Associate degree in Paralegal Studies. She is the mother of four beautiful children and grandmother of one. Cheryl has lived in the Central New York area for over 25 years.
Joni Mitchell, OTR, Aging Life Care Manager
Joni is a Licensed Occupational Therapist with over 30 years combined experience in the fields of OT, vision rehabilitation, and general health and nutrition. She has worked as an OT in a number of health care facilities and hospitals, in addition to low vision care and neuro-optometric vision rehabilitation. Joni has had personal life experiences with chronic illness and Alzheimer’s disease in her family. Joni joined the Inspire Care team in 2020 with a renewed focus on home heath care. She has a love for helping those underserved and those who have no local family support system. She desires to educate and encourage the caregivers of our clients. Her faith in God and love for Him guides her in providing the best care for her clients.
Joni received her Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Michigan University and came to Syracuse for an internship at Upstate University Hospital. In her spare time she very much enjoys spending time with her husband, adult children, family dog, and doing absolutely anything outdoors!
Maribeth Morgan, LMSW, Aging Life Care Manager
Maribeth is a Licensed Master Social Worker and holds a certification in gerontology. She has over 25 years experience working in a multitude of health care facilities, hospitals, and other care management companies prior to joining Inspire Care in 2019.
Maribeth graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Community Services, and a Master of Social Work.
Kristin Reith
Kristin serves as an Administrative Assistant. Her many duties include client/customer service, office related tasks, data information, client record inputting, billing, and assisting our Aging Life Care Managers and therapists. She has many years of administrative/clerical experience working in the medical field prior to joining the Inspire Care team in 2021.
Kristin has an Associate degree in Medical Office Assistance Curriculum from Alfred State College, and brings a plethora of experience coupled with a desire to help our staff and clients with what can be challenging from a clerical standpoint. Her pleasant voice often brings a comforting calmness when communicating with others.
Kristin’s hobbies include gardening and paper crafting (personalized greeting cards for many occasions). She and her husband have lived in Central New York for their entire lives.
Gwen Sorber, BSN, MSN, Aging Life Care Manager
Gwen is a Registered Professional Nurse and an advanced practice nurse with over 40 years of experience in health care, ranging from acute care to home care to nursing education and now in care management. She has been privileged to work in multiple settings allowing her to develop an extensive network within the medical community in Syracuse. Gwen has been with Inspire Care since 2020.
She holds a BSN from Bloomsburg State University and a MSN/ANP from Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Gwen is active in her faith community and serves on the Board of Education at a local private school. She enjoys working in a problem solving capacity, especially with seniors, to impact quality of life.
Peter Auyer
Pete is the Operations Manager for Inspire Care. His duties include business and policy development, human resources, accounting and marketing. He has over 40 years of experience working in academic, non-profit, private, and healthcare settings. Pete served over 21 years as a Project Manager with a Syracuse landscape architectural firm.
His other responsibilities include Manager of the LifePlan By Inspire Care, a proactive record keeping tool for organizing personal information.
Pete has degrees from Ithaca College and SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, and graduate coursework from Kent State University. He has served on multiple professional and volunteers committees. Pete is married with four children and nine grandchildren.
Becky and her company was an answer to prayer for me and my family. My father and father-in-law both ended up in assisted living before they died.Becky not only helped us find the correct facilty but she helped our extended family and both Dads navigate some very difficult transitions.I would recommend her company to anyone who is caring for a senior. There is a lot to learn ,alot of trials and a lot of emotion during this stage of life-You don't have to do it alone!
I recently had to go through the incredible difficulty of sorting out my aging Mother's complicated financial picture as her power of attorney. I decided then, that I also had to find a much better solution for organizing the complexities of my own life plan. I needed to do this not only for my wife, if she survived me, but for our children in the event of our passing together. We were blessed to come upon the "Life Plan" program by Inspire Care of Central New York. The plan book and online program offered us the perfect solution for our situation. We completed the plan together and now feel extremely comfortable that we have all the pieces of our finances and life wishes in place. This program is a must have for anyone interested in finding simple, organizational solutions for their life plan!
My name is Matthew Steenberg. My family had the opportunity to acquire Inspire Care of CNY to coordinate all of our father's medical needs! Reflecting back over the course of time with our dad, and the relationship he/we had with the company, it was priceless! The personal care for our father was incredible! Visitations by the Therapists, by Rebecca, were always valued and productive. The advice for addtional support and followup discussions regarding our dads care were exemplary! And,I might add that Inspire Care was always available 24/7 for any questions or emergencies that needed attention! The company also worked extremely hard to establish relationships with all of the persons who would be with our father during his daylight and nighttime hours. Custodial staff, nurses, facility directors, anyone associated with our dad's care were connected. Inspire Care created a team around our dad. The experience was very impressive! Additionally, the mentoring that they offer the caregivers was very insightful and so comforting. Inspire Care not only cared for our father, but also very importantly cared for us! Care for all in the world of meeting the needs of our aging lov ed ones! In perspective, we don't know what we would have done without the professional loving care they provided to all of us in the family. It is without hesitation that we highly recommend Inspire Care of CNY to anyone or family that is seeking five star management and expertise in the care of their loved ones!
Becky and Inspire care has been an absolute blessing with our Mother who is suffering from dementia. Not only the in home care provided but the guidance given helped us to navigate the process to move her to into a long term care facility where she is now thriving. We absolutely could not have done this without the care, help, and guidance from Inspire.
Provided an immediate, and long term, in-home care solution for our beloved relative—and eventually spearheaded the skilled nursing facility admission process. Provided highly professional and compassionate service and advice from start to finish.
Inspire Care was so wonderful to work with in my mother's final years. Becky was with us from the early days when we were looking for someone to share a few meals and leave a few in the fridge for our Mom who lived alone but was showing early signs of dementia, through a broken hip and eventual 24x7 care.Having an experienced team in Inspire Care to help us navigate was SO helpful during stressful times. They helped us find and work with agencies and businesses that we would have struggled to navigate without their experienced guidance.
We have cultivated such a wonderful partnership with Inspire Care. Becky, is extremely thorough with much attention to detail thatperhaps one thought wouldn't matter. The Inspire care Team leads with such professionalism and have such compassion for their clients. We value & embrace the partnership we have created the entire team .
I have known Becky Auyer and Inspire Care for over 10 years. I have recommended her to many friends and families.About 7 years ago, I hired her to help me with my parents. (I recall thinking I was a super hero, and I could do this well all by myself!)Early on, she helped me to navigate both of my parents getting off the road. That was a tremendous hurdle for our family and much needed for everyones safety.She helped us in the house with safety measures, meds, doctor appointments and check ins when I was away on travel.In 2017, my parents moved to senior apartment living. She helped us with that process, as well as helping us with mobility issues that both parents now had.Over the last 5 years, with COVID, my mother suffering numerous falls, rehab, and several hospitalization, Becky and her staff were always a phone call away. Becky, Gwen, Sharon, Deborah and Cheryl, all pitched in with daily treatments, showers, physical therapy, and sometimes taking turns at the hospital. This gave me so much comfort knowing they could help me in so many ways.During the 1st 6 months of 2022, both of my parents died at home with hospice, family, and the Inspire Care team helping us every step of the way.In a lot of ways, these last 12 years was the toughest job I ever had. I don't regret it, but I know I couldn't have done as well as I did without Inspire Care by my side until the end.
Inspire Care of CNY cared for both of my aging parents in the final stages of their lives. Becky and her team were FANTASTIC. We faced many challenges--moving my parents out of their house and into a retirement community, and then confronting various issues as their health failed. I don't know how we would have survived that phase of life without their patient, kind, and knowledgeable support. The support was for my parents, but also for us, their adult children. I wish I could give more than five stars!
Rebecca Auyer PT, CMC, CDP, Aging Life Care Professional
Jackie Bennett PT, MS, DPT
Deborah Jacques, PT, DPT, CMC, Aging Life Care Clinical Coordinator 
Deborah Lynch, RN, BSN, Aging Life Care Manager 
Cheryl Metz, CMA Coordinator
Joni Mitchell, OTR, Aging Life Care Manager
Maribeth Morgan, LMSW, Aging Life Care Manager
Kristin Reith
Gwen Sorber, BSN, MSN, Aging Life Care Manager
Peter Auyer
