Meet the Team That Brings Elder Homestead to Life

Get to Know Our Leadership and Caregivers

Our leadership and caregiving teams are dedicated to ensuring every one of VOANS’ residents feels welcome and supported, while they are getting the individualized care they need to live their lives to the fullest. You can learn more about our executive and health care leadership, including their qualifications, previous experience, years of service with VOANS, hobbies, and more!

Our Team

Katelin Kinneman, LCSW, LALD

Residence Director

Katelin has served as the Residence Director at Elder Homestead since April 2023. She has worked in senior living using her expertise in mental health and social work. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree in social work. She provides person-centered care and enforces this approach with her team and makes the residents feel at home with her warmth and caring nature. In her free time, Katelin enjoys spending time with her family, reading books, doing puzzles, and being outdoors. Katelin lives in her childhood home in the rural town of Lester Prairie with her husband and their two dogs. 

Yvonne Cariveau

Director of Marketing & Admissions

Yvonne has worked at Elder Homestead for over 10 years in a variety of different roles, including multiple kitchen positions, Life Enrichment Assistant and Director and most recently as the Director of Marketing and Admissions. Over all of her time working in this environment, she has gained many skills in the senior living world and is an asset to our current and potential residents and their families. Yvonne is married and has two young children. She enjoys spending time with her family and the four of them can often be found enjoying themselves at aquariums, zoos, playgrounds, nature centers, on hiking paths or taking road trips. Her hobbies include reading, crocheting, and crafting.  

Sheryl Hassan

Life Enrichment Director

Sheryl joined Elder Homestead in May of 2023. Sheryl has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She previously was a Director of Life Enrichment at a memory care facility that specialized in dementia. Her favorite aspects of the job are getting to know the great people that live here and discovering fun facts about each resident. She has three adult children whom she is very close with. In addition, she loves to travel, hike, kayak, read, and play Ruzzle (a fast-paced word game).  She helps take care of her aging parents, and her granddaughter. She grew up in Burnsville, MN and currently lives in Edina, MN. Her Zen place is a beach.

Shirley Karama, RN

Director of Nursing

Shirley’s healthcare career started out as a CNA and then a Medical Assistant. She then progressed to become an LPN in 2018 and later earned her RN at Rasmussen University. She then had an opportunity to serve as an Assistant Director of Nursing at Bonterra Transitional Care in Georgia where she pursued obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Cappella University. Over the years, she has worked in long-term care, assisted living, mental health, and memory care, building a strong clinical and leadership experience. She was born and raised in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa. We relocated to the US in 2007 at the age of 20. She is married and the proud mother of four—three daughters and a son.

Debby LeTourneau

Business Office Manager/HR Manager

Debby joined Elder Homestead as the Business Office Manager in July of 2020.  In addition, she has HR responsibilities for this campus.  Prior to working for Elder Homestead, she was the Staff Accountant for a Food Service Management Company.  She is committed to providing high quality care and services to our seniors. Debby grew up in a small town in West Virginia and attended Salem College in Salem, WV. Gaining expertise and compassion from her mother’s dementia, she realized that her passion was for long term care and only wished that she had started her career in this environment sooner.  Debby enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and has a continuous need to educate herself on the amazing information the world has to offer.

Olex Gerashchenko

Maintenance Director

Olex joined Elder Homestead as the Maintenance Director in August 2024. Prior to working for Elder Homestead, he was the Maintenance Engineer-IV at the Anoka County Government Campus and Facilities. His responsibility includes completing preventative maintenance programs and responding quickly to all equipment and building concerns. Before moving to Minnesota, Olex lived in New York and attended SBS Technical School where he received several building licenses. Olex enjoys working at Elder Homestead where he can use his interpersonal and communication skills to build relationships with the residents. Overall, his goal is to make sure all residents feel like they live at home. Outside of work, Olex enjoys spending some time with his family, cooking, being outdoors, watching movies and sports competitions.

Our Team Can’t Wait to Welcome You

If you would like to meet with the Elder Homestead team members in person, you can schedule a visit and meet with our team. We look forward to meeting you, answering any questions you may have, and showing you around our welcoming community. You can also reach out to us online to find out more information about Elder Homestead before scheduling a visit.