Elise Varner
Founder & Administrator
A former English teacher who opened Hartwell House after her father's illness. She keeps his postcard on her desk.
Our people
Meet our team
Nurses, caregivers and leaders who stay, and who know every resident by name.
Our team
The people at Hartwell
Paula Reyes, RN
Director of Nursing
Fifteen years in memory care. Believes in the least medication that works.
Dr. Samuel Haddad
Medical Director
A Benton County geriatrician who makes monthly rounds.
Sophie Tran, APRN
Nurse Practitioner
Sees residents weekly and catches small changes early.
Kiana Brooks, LMSW
Social Worker
Guides families through move-in and benefits, and leads the support group.
Theo Bassett
Writing Hour Lead
A former newspaper copy editor who helps residents find the right word, or writes it down for them.
Rosa Delgado, LPN
Night Nurse
Keeps the house calm overnight and leaves a lamp on for anyone who wants one.
Grace Kim
Dietary Manager
Bakes every birthday cake and writes the name in icing herself.
Marcus Lee
Household Lead
Seven years at Hartwell. Walks the letters to the post office every weekday.
Hannah Weber
Life Enrichment Director
Plans the creek walks, music hour and the pen-pal program.
Jenna Kirk
Admissions Coordinator
Gives most of our tours and helps families through the first weeks.
Sample family reviews
Letters from families
I've gotten a postcard from Dad every Friday for two years. Some are one line. I've kept every one.
Mom can't hold a conversation on the phone anymore, but she dictates a letter to Theo every week, and it sounds exactly like her.
My grandson in the Army got a letter from his grandma at basic training. He called me crying.
Paula took Mother off two medications she didn't need. She's sharper than she's been in a year.
It's quiet here. No TV blaring in the hallway, no overhead pages. Dad sleeps again.
They wrote Mom's life story with us before she moved in. Every caregiver read it.
Dad's pen pal is a nursing student at the university. They've written each other for a year.
Kiana helped us apply for VA benefits for Dad and kept after it until it was approved.
Every birthday, the whole household signs a card. Mom keeps them all in a shoebox.
Marcus walks the letters to the post office every day, rain or shine. The postmaster knows them all by name.
After Mom passed, Elise sent us a handwritten letter about her last good week. We read it at the funeral.
Write to us. Or better, come by.
Call or text Elise to set a time. Bring a stamp and we'll help your mother write her first letter home.