IN DEDICATION TO MY MOTHER AND FATHER:  I am who I am because of my great loving parents who have devoted their lives in helping people.   My Parents both passed away a month a part from each other in 2022.  I take solace in the fact that they are together again!  I learned so much about how important our industry is when I became their caregiver for 3 years!   My Father, Eugene Benedetto was a proud and honorable MARINE!  Semper Fi Dad!  He was a  Purple Heart recipient, Missing in Action and a Korean War Veteran.  I dedicated my first Adult Medical Day Care Center to him, serving all Korean Communities, it was the 1st in New Jersey!   My Mother Barbara Benedetto was the 1st Women of the Year in Bayonne, saving the lives of two children.  I dedicated my facility Town Square in her honor.   My 3rd facility is dedicated to my husband and children…its called LIFE….and that is what it is all about !  Thank you Mom and Dad!  

 

President and Founder of Future Focus Inc. Joan Marie Granato wears many hats as Owner, Consultant, Educator, Advocate, Mentor and Industry Leader. She has opened, operated or consulted for over 50 adult medical day care centers and various Health Care Facilities Adult Day Care is her Passion and she believes in this service. She watched her Grandmother Archangela Benedetto lived and died in a Nursing Home and began her plight in life to develop programs to help seniors to receive care and services without living in an institution. Adult Day Care is the best kept secret. With over 168 Adult Day Care Centers in NJ and nearly 6,000 Adult Day Care Centers throughout the country, Joan Marie’s continued direction is to provide creative ways for the ADC Industry to flourish and provide needed services to seniors and the disabled communities.

She currently has owns three Adult Medical Day Care Centers in NJ, so she understands the operational component of an owner and can assist new and seasoned providers in developing successful programs.

Her involvement as the senior administrator in charge of daily operations includes facility design, market analysis, budgeting, audit, hiring, training, marketing, selection of equipment, and organizing food services, transportation and therapeutic and social program design and implementation. She has reorganized the programs of numerous troubled adult medical day care centers in a variety of ways that include renovation of the facility, reworking operations, repositioning marketing, conducting new hiring and training, as well as acting as interim senior administrator until a replacement is found. She continues to support the NJ providers with assistance in the Tele-health Program and on a National Level with the National Task Force Team to assist other States in the development of a Tele-health Program.

She has been asked by the Philippine Consulate to develop 18 Adult Day Care Programs in conjunction with their Hospitals to establish a Model Adult Day Care Program, Develop Regulations and the Survey Process.

As an Advocate and following her motto to “Give Back to the Community” throughout her career she served on the boards of a variety of healthcare industry groups.  She is the President of (NJAMDSC) New Jersey Adult Medical Day Services Coalition as the founded in 2020 when the Government shut down NJ Adult Medical Day Care Centers due to Covid 19.  She initiated the action to reinstate ADS in a Telehealth Model.  Within a few days, ADS in NJ were operating the Telehealth Program.    She has been  the past President of (NJADSA) New Jersey Adult Day Service Association, and held Executive Board positions of the council since 2002. Past President of Regional Activity Professional Association, President of (NJAPA)  New Jersey Activity Professional Association. She holds a BA from Kean University, furthered her studies at NYU and was an Adjunct Professor for the Gerontology Program for Union County College.

Joan Marie continues to develop new and innovative programs that solves a community need and enhances a facilities/provider’s sustainability, marketability and revenue stream. There are so many great projects to implement with the right type of ownership. There is a greater good we must all focus on while we are creating successful businesses. There is a mission to explore on helping those in need and taking care of those who need assistance.