Driven by a personal vision of integrity and social responsibility, Derek Mercey has been providing professional consulting to the seniors' housing and care services industry since 1992.

In 1993, Derek co-founded Care Planning Partners Inc., which has since established itself as the preferred source of industry information and market intelligence among key stakeholders including lenders, developers, real estate professionals, seniors' housing owners and managers. Current and past clients include such well-known and respected organizations as; Alert Care Corporation, Extendicare (Canada) Inc., Chartwell Care Corporation, Central Park Lodges, Diversicare Management Services, Community Lifecare Inc., Omni Health Care Ltd., Sunrise Assisted Living (U.S.), Alterra Healthcare Inc. (U.S.), Manorcare Health Services Inc. (U.S.), Abbeyfield Homes, The Alzheimer Society of Ottawa-Carleton, and many more.

Recognizing a need for better information relating to the housing and service alternatives available to seniors and their families, Derek spearheaded the development of TheCareGuide.com in 1996 and the 2002 launch of The Care Guide, Canada's premier printed guide to seniors' housing and care services.

Derek holds an Honours Degree in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. During his studies, Derek worked as a caregiver in a home for special care, where he assisted in the development and implementation of residential care programs for dually-diagnosed youths. He also worked with a Toronto-based consulting firm that specialized in the retirement residence sector. During this tenure, he gained valuable experience conducting numerous market and financial feasibility studies for the sector. He also developed and implemented an annual, Ontario-wide survey of retirement and long-term care facilities that furthered his knowledge of the seniors' housing and care service industry.

Derek serves on the Public Affairs and Commercial Committees of the Ontario Residential Care Association and is past Treasurer of the White Light Hospice Foundation, a Toronto-based charitable group striving to build a free-standing hospice for terminal cancer patients.

To arrange a media interview with Derek Mercey, please contact him directly at (416) 287-2273 ext. 223 or derek@thecareguide.com.