About the Founder
DG Linton Gridley, born in 1956, founded Aging With Grace: Your Best Independent Life Club in response to the complex and overwhelming challenges of caring for aging family members. Her journey began when she unexpectedly became responsible for her ailing in-laws, followed by the illness and passing of her mother in the same year.
In 2008, DG made the decision to leave her career as a middle school teacher and summer programs director to focus on finding better solutions for elder care. After earning a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from the University of Kentucky in 2010, she spent several years working, networking, and volunteering with local senior services and government agencies. Collaborating with healthcare professionals, DG developed policies and procedures designed to offer compassionate and effective help for our aging population.
In 2015, Aging With Grace welcomed its first members and has since grown into a thriving organization, now serving over 100 members both at home and at the Fountain of Youth Clubhouse. The company expanded its services to include case management in 2021, and home improvements in 2023 continuing its mission to support independent living for seniors.
Inspiration behind Aging with Grace
My life’s journey has led me to this mission of improving the lives of seniors. As a child, I spent summers with my grandmother, a home care nurse, visiting the elderly and helping those in need. Her words still echo in my mind: “As you are, so once was I.” It shaped how I see aging and care for older adults.
Upon graduating high school, I enrolled in nursing school and worked in a nursing home but left after witnessing poor treatment. That experience fueled my desire to change the system. Later, I saw my own grandmother suffer in a nursing home, a place she never wanted to be. Despite her wishes, she endured a diminished quality of life for years.
I’ve seen firsthand how broken the nursing home system is. My mother, also a nurse, faced similar challenges and eventually left to provide care on her own terms. Through all this, I realized that traditional care models are failing.
Our society must value older people more. They are not a separate group—they are us, just in the future. Aging With Grace is my solution, designed to provide seniors with the dignity and care they deserve, the same care I’d want for myself and my children.
– DG Linton Gridley, CEO
Inspiration behind Aging with Grace
My life’s journey has led me to this mission of improving the lives of seniors. As a child, I spent summers with my grandmother, a home care nurse, visiting the elderly and helping those in need. Her words still echo in my mind: “As you are, so once was I.” It shaped how I see aging and care for older adults.
Upon graduating high school, I enrolled in nursing school and worked in a nursing home but left after witnessing poor treatment. That experience fueled my desire to change the system. Later, I saw my own grandmother suffer in a nursing home, a place she never wanted to be. Despite her wishes, she endured a diminished quality of life for years.
I’ve seen firsthand how broken the nursing home system is. My mother, also a nurse, faced similar challenges and eventually left to provide care on her own terms. Through all this, I realized that traditional care models are failing.
Our society must value older people more. They are not a separate group—they are us, just in the future. Aging With Grace is my solution, designed to provide seniors with the dignity and care they deserve, the same care I’d want for myself and my children.
– DG Linton Gridley, CEO
