Listen to the person.
Understand their life story, values, concerns and individual needs. Active listening and empathy help build trust.
MEET DR. JANNAMeet Dr. Janna.
Meet Dr. Janna.
Our Medical Director.
Our Founding Angel.
Dr. Janna Priscilla De La Cruz Castillo
Medical Director & Founding Angel
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Older adults deserve more than a diagnosis and a prescription. They deserve to be heard, understood and treated with the same compassion a physician would offer someone in their own family.
That belief guides Dr. Janna’s work as our founding and primary physician. She leads a team that includes at least two additional physicians, and personally knows every resident, maintaining an ongoing relationship with each resident and family.
Geriatrics & Gerontology
HER APPROACH TO CAREThe whole person.
The whole person.
Their whole life.
Dr. Janna’s approach combines comprehensive geriatric assessment and medical treatment with attention to physical, emotional, psychological and social well-being. Quality of life, autonomy and dignity guide the care.
Protect dignity and autonomy.
Care is tailored to the individual, with respect for their independence and the life they want to keep living.
Make time for connection.
Companionship, reassurance and emotional support matter alongside clinical treatment. People need to feel valued and understood.
Care with human warmth.
Clinical excellence and compassion belong together. The goal is a person who feels supported, heard and cared for.
“I believe that every patient deserves to be treated with the same respect, dedication, and compassion that I would offer to a member of my own family.”
From “My Approach to Geriatrics and Gerontology”
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
A career focused on older adults.
- Medical education
- Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA), Santiago, Dominican Republic.
- Specialty training
- Postgraduate specialty training in Geriatrics and Gerontology at the University of Medical Sciences of Havana, Cuba.
- Clinical training experience
- Center for Research on Aging, Longevity, and Health (CITED), Havana.
- Additional qualification
- Diploma in Nutrition.
- Professional memberships
- Dominican Association of Geriatricians and Dominican Society of Geriatrics.
- Professional work
- Her appointments include VA Foreign Medical Services in Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo, and Home Healthcare Services in the Sosúa–Puerto Plata area.
ALEX’S EXPERIENCEShe cared for Dad.
She cared for Dad.
She cared for me, too.
In February 2026, during his first vacation in six years, Alex met Dr. Janna on the Dominican Republic’s North Coast. Her knowledge, compassion and approach to older adults helped convince him to move his father there less than six weeks later.
Dad’s face would light up when she entered the room. During his final month, he would blow her kisses. Her care brought comfort to him and something Alex had been missing: peace of mind.
She recognized the exhaustion of six years of family caregiving. Her compassion extended to the son who had spent those years managing one crisis after another.
“To me, she’s an angel.”— Alex Shogren
Read how a short vacation changed everythingHER ROLE AT DUNMOREA familiar physician.
A familiar physician.
A connected care team.
As Medical Director & Founding Angel, Dr. Janna oversees the medical program with her physician colleagues. Our medical team provides daily physician oversight across our first three homes, including a physician present on Sundays and coverage when she is unavailable or at another residence. She makes time to know the person, whether through conversation, reassurance or sitting down to help with a puzzle.
At least two nurses are on duty in each residence at all times, in addition to dedicated caregivers. Each acute assisted-living or memory-care resident has one-to-one caregiver attention during waking hours, with most frontline caregivers also nurses.
Team Leads, Family Leads, physicians, therapists and other professionals support the care experience. The aim is personal attention for residents and a clear, trusted connection for their families.
Care for the person. Support for the family.
Tell us about your loved one and what your family is carrying.