Tammy Garfield, AAP-BC, CDP

CNA

Director of Activities, Agave Grove Post Acute

Glendale, AZ 85308

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Cert Certified Dementia Practitioner Cert Advanced Activity Professional Board Certified Cert CNA Member Arizona Association of Activity Professionals

Her Story

About Tammy

Tammy Garfield, AAP-BC, CDP, is an experienced healthcare activities professional based in Glendale, Arizona, currently serving as the Director of Activities at Agave Grove Post-Acute. With a career in healthcare spanning nearly three decades, she began her journey in 1995 as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Over time, she discovered a strong passion for resident engagement and quality of life programming, which led her to transition into activities coordination and eventually advance into leadership within her facility.

Tammy has spent approximately 13 years at Agave Grove Post-Acute, growing through multiple roles including CNA, Activity CNA, activities coordinator, and now director. In her current position, she oversees the development and implementation of resident activity calendars, supervises staff, ensures compliance with state guidelines, and adapts programming to meet the changing needs of residents. She is especially known for her commitment during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she played a key role in helping families stay connected with their loved ones through virtual communication and creative engagement solutions.

Her professional focus includes senior activities programming, dementia care, and post-acute care engagement, supported by her certifications as an Advanced Activity Professional (AAP-BC) and Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP). Tammy is driven by a deep sense of purpose in her work, emphasizing compassion, dignity, and meaningful connection for residents. Outside of her professional life, she has been married for 25 years and enjoys camping, visiting casinos, reading, playing games on her iPad, and spending time with her two birds, Mac and Marlon.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Tammy

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to my family, especially my mother-in-law who was always very supportive of what I was trying to do, and just having the support of friends and family. My new management that I have is actually very, very supportive as well - they want to see you succeed, so they help push you to succeed. But it's also the drive that I have that I want to do well, and I want the residents to be happy, so I kind of push myself to make sure I do what they can and what they like to do, because it's a different generation now than it was when I started in this field.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've ever received is to be myself and not give up. I learned that you can be in management, but still be yourself. You don't have to be a robot and do what everybody wants you to do. You can still be yourself, and still obey the rules and stuff. Sometimes, you know, you just have to be yourself.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

Not to give up. I mean, it's frustrating, it's hard, but you have to take the losses with the wins, and you have to take the failures with the successes, because you're not going to succeed at first. I mean, you have to be willing to accept some failure along the way, because believe me, it comes. And you just have to work through the failure to get to your success, and don't give up on yourself. If you have a dream, go for your dream. Don't let everybody else talk you out of it, because they don't think it's achievable.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

The biggest challenge in my field is making people happy with what you get to spend, like your budget and stuff, but still trying to make sure the residents have a good time, and knowing that they're cared for and they're loved. Another challenge is getting other people to understand that our field is just as important as some of the other fields.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

The values most important to me are trust, respect, and understanding. I also believe in having the love for what you do - if you want to do the field you're in, you have to want to do that field. It's not just a paycheck. It's got to be what you want to do. If you're looking at it as a paycheck, then you're in the wrong business, because it's not going to be just the paycheck.

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