Knowledgeable and effective

Catherine provided the most pertinent and helpful care for my mother who was experiencing dementia at the end of her life. We will be forever grateful to her. There should be more professionals who understand and explain elderhood the way she does.

Caring and Knowledgeable

Excellent care, genuine concern, very knowledgeable, I would highly recommend Catherine McDermott

Sheer Excellence

Absolute superb communication and highly skilled in her field. Recommend 10 times over! Catherine is THE BEST.

The Best

Catherine’s dedication to her patients is obvious the first time you meet her. Our mom has Alzheimer’s and was not sleeping: pacing all night and only dozing off here and there in the daytime; her quality of life was terrible. Catherine tried several different medications, did genetic testing when medications were not working, and was able to figure out a combination that worked. Catherine regularly communicates with my sister and me via email, answering questions that we have. She does in-person and tele-health visits. You can tell she has a genuine concern about her patients.

Highly recommend Catherine

Having Catherine as mom’s psychiatrist has been amazing! Catherine has been incredibly professional and patient as we struggled to find the appropriate medicine to regulate mom‘s sleep. Catherine has been so responsive to both my sister and me, even emailing with us regularly. With her expertise, we were finally able to help mom find rest. We are so thankful to have found Catherine and we highly recommend her to anyone needing psychiatric care.

Exceptional and thoughtful care

Catherine is a thoughtful and skilled practitioner. Her compassionate care of my mother improved her quality of life and took so much worry out of mine. She is a true gem.

Compassionate and highly skilled

Dr. Catherine was very involved with the care for my dad with Alzheimers. She came up with what my dad needed to help regulate symptoms associated with the disease, including socially inappropriate interactions that arose as the disease progressed. She helped me to understand the issues in light of the disease and came up with pharmaceutical solutions that worked well without zoning dad out. Her intervention relieved so much stress for our family. Her skill and intervention helped get dad back on track when his hospital stays created interruptions in his course of treatment. I am very thankful for her expertise and would highly recommend her.

Kind and compassionate

Catherine was very caring to our Mom during her visits. She listened to my mom’s needs and kept us updated on her suggestions and progress. Catherine is not only exceptional at her job but is patient and very caring, considering all her patients individual needs.

Caring & Highly Competent Care of Elderly Dad

Catherine is a remarkable health professional- attentive, perceptive, kind and engaging with my 98 year old Dad while also being particularly effective in connecting with his family. She contacts me to assess our perception of any changes & improvements. She solicits feedback from staff at his facility, in order to gain a full understanding of his activity level & general emotional condition.She is generous with sharing her time and expertise with me and calls with full reports regarding her visits with my Dad.What my sister & I particularly appreciate is her knowledge of medications & her conservative practice of prescribing meds at a very low dosage to begin with; in order to use the fewest meds possible to manage his symptoms.Working with Catherine has improved the quality of my Dad’s life dramatically.She is a gifted mental health practitioner.

So Dedicated

So dedicated. catherine took care of my husband in a memory care facility. She was kind, understanding and was able to keep him calm, adjusting his medication until he passed. She was always available to me and my family when ever we needed her. I have seen her as a patient as well. If she didnt take the extra steps and look out of the box to resolve my problems, which my primary didnt do. I am forever indebted to her. Now feeling great. Maureen Faraguna

A Medical professional that puts the patient first

Catherine is a professional who puts the patient ahead of all else. My Dad has stage 5 dementia his outlook looked poor and we felt he was going to fail soon. After Catherine evaluated him and adjust his medication my Dad looks and acts as he did before being diagnosed. I would recommend Catherine to every family with loved ones that have dementia. Thank You Catherine

Highly skilled care, compassion and support

Catherine has been caring for and treating my Mom for many years. She provided invaluable support for Mom and our family when my dad passed away. Catherine worked diligently to find exactly the right medications for my mom. She took the time to treat my mom as a whole person, not just treating her mental health issues. Catherine is highly skilled in evaluation of her patients and strives to provide the absolute best treatment plan for them.Forever grateful.

Great example of how care should be.

I met Catherine McDermott while searching for dementia care providers and services for my husband. Her name comes up in many health provider connections. What a gem! Her guidance had been pragmatic and yet caring. She has a refreshing transparent approach and she is always great listener.

Dedicated!

I am so thankful that we have Catherine! After placing my father into an ALF, she has been nothing but supportive, respectful, informative and compassionate. What most impresses me is how considerate and how well she communicates. She is straight forward, and has provided us guidance through this difficult time. I live in Texas, while my brother lives here. She takes that extra time to keep me updated. I have called to speak with her for guidance concerning my fathers care and am surprised at how responsive and how quickly she gets back to me. I am here for a short visit now and she took the time to meet with me and then with both my father and I. She is so compassionate about what she does, and has helped my father and my family so much. Truly amazing. She is one of the most dedicated medical professionals I have ever had. We are lucky to have her.

Professional and knowledgeable and compassionate!

When I first met Catherine McDermott I had just moved my mom into a memory care facility. As you can imagine I was at a lost!!! Then I met Catherine McDermott my world changed. Here was a compassionate, caring very well knowledgeable young women helping me through this process we call life. When she met my mother it was almost as if she was sitting and talking with her own mother. She was very attentive to my mother’s needs and to my concerns for my mother. With Catherine’s expertise and counseling our journey through dementia has become more positive with her guidance. I knew my mother was in great hands. Almost 8 months later I had no idea I would be calling Catherine McDermott to help me with my husband’s medical needs. Her expertise, knowledge and counseling goes beyond just her professionalism. She truly cares for her patients 24/7. I expect my husband to make a full recovery under the care Dr. Catherine McDermott. I highly recommend her! Catherine McDermott is a true blessing!

I trust Catherine’s recommendations implicitly!

After my husband was diagnosed with MCI, I read a few books and some online articles, but I was floundering. I was angry at my husband for not understanding simple commands, and I felt frustrated most of the time. Catherine is the first person who diagnosed my husband as having Primary Progressive Aphasia, and she took the time to explain to me – clearly and compassionately – that my expectations were too high. I’ll never forget her telling me that I needed to stop trying to conform my husband to my world, but, instead, I needed to conform to his – and his world needed to become very small. Her advice was sobering, but it was so true, and she has continued to advise me, to prescribe medications for my husband as needed to keep him comfortable, and sometimes to talk me down off an emotional ledge when I find myself in crisis mode! Catherine is always available to her clients, and I truly don’t know how I would survive this journey without such a kind and caring professional in my corner

Incredibly knowledgable and compassionate

Catherine McDermott has helped my son in countless ways. She treats the whole patient, has a conservative approach to medication management, takes an extraordinary amount of time and care with complex cases and looks beyond just medication for what my son needs. He is in a much, much better place with the program Catherine helped put into place for him and I fully expect he will continue to improve even more. Can’t recommend her highly enough!

Very Frustrated with previous help

My Aunt is now 75 yrs old, has been battling Bipolar for over 15 yrs. I have seen her get so full of Anxiety and Depression to the point she would be crawling out of her skin which is very hard to see. She was always so full of life and always brought the best out of people. I tell people she is the PARTY at the party. Over the last year I took on the responsibility to bring the PARTY back. I brought her to Florida, she just was not getting what she needed at her home town. Well after several attempts with physiatrists and doctors, I found Town Square which is an adult care facility. Talked with the staff and was looking to get my Aunt signed up. They informed me of Catherine and said she might be able to help my Aunt. I was able to set her up with Catherine. After a very short time Aunt B is now back to normal with a very positive look at life again. Could not be happier with Catherine and her abilities to help a person ! Catherine is an Angel ! I wish to say more, ran out of space.

Excellent professional care

I asked Catherine McDermott to assist me in the plethora of decisions regarding my husband’s care in an assisted living facility and a recent hospitalization. She professionally and compassionately provided excellent advice and support for both myself and my husband. She has recommended literature and personal observation to help me understand his journey and recommended support for care management from which I have immediately benefitted. This is a difficult time for so many people facing the challenges of our aging population and I wish every personal care giver could be the recipient of such outstanding support.

Amazing Care Partner

Catherine is a devoted, caring, amazing professional who goes above and beyond to put her patients and their families first. We were very fortunate to have Catherine care for our family member during an extremely difficult time. She was resourceful, knowledgeable and most of all supportive of the needs of our family. Catherine was there 24/7, she came in for emergency visits on the weekends and off hours, ensuring the best care possible was delivered. As an RN, I am very particular about providers and the care they deliver, I can, WITHOUT reservation, recommend Catherine McDermott, APRN, she was truly an angel for our family, we are forever grateful.

POA FOR Patient of Ms. McDermott

Ms. McDermott is highly qualified and totally capable to treat her patients with sincere care and competency . Her willingness to take the extra time while communicating with all parties involved has been a refreshing change from today’s typical health care worker . It’s truly a pleasure working with someone that goes the extra mile in such difficult situations . It is without hesitation that I would recommend her services to anyone that is seeking care for loved ones in need of mental health care.

Catherine McDermott is exceptional .

Catherine was the best person on our team when transitioning our father to assisted and then memory care living. She truly cares, listens, and is exceptionally skilled with her suggestions for treatment plans and care. She was the one person we could trust explicitly and we knew that our father was in the best hands with Catherine. She is kind and compassionate and that was displayed when she visited our father while he was in hospice at the end of his life. I highly recommend Catherine McDermott.

Wonderful & Caring – Someone Who Actually Listens

Catherine McDermott is OUTSTANDING. Her professional demeanor, clinical assessment skills and empathy all shine through. It was very difficult to place my dad in a memory care facility and Catherine helped both my father and me with the transition. She actually listened to everything my father and I said, and carefully and thoroughly evaluated my father’s dementia and proposed a treatment plan. There may be other clinicians who can formulate a treatment plan, but none will listen with as much compassion and understanding as Catherine. And importantly, my father felt like she really cared about his well-being. I give Catherine and Gulfside Behavioral Care the highest recommendation possible.

Outstanding Professional

Catherine McDermott is exceptionally knowledgeable, skilled, and compassionate. My husband has Alzheimer’s dementia and with Catherine’s expertise and counsel, his journey has become more positive with her guided care. Catherine has given her time, understanding, and encouragement to our whole family, not just our loved one. I cannot imagine what this complex dementia experience would have been like, had we not had her with us along the way. I will always treasure what she has done for me on a personal level. From the earliest diagnosis, Catherine was available to support me as only she could. She taught me I was not alone. She showed me a way through. She believed I could be strong. She created the foundation upon which our family could support our loved one. Catherine McDermott continues to be a blessing in our lives every single day.

There’s no better care than Catherine McDermott!

We needed to put my mother in an ALF and were clueless what to do. Thank God for Catherine. We had no idea how bad my mom’s dementia was. Catherine helped us pick the perfect place for her and her care couldn’t have been better. She coached us on every step of our journey, even hospice care. Catherine would call us after her visits and advise us perfectly on what to do for our mom. She even took time from her busy schedule to come and comfort us when mom was passing away. We could not have navigated through this without Catherine. Thank you Catherine!!!!

Caring for my dad with Alzheimers

Catherine was great to work with. She had practical advice and didn’t sugar coat difficult messages, which is what my family needed at the time. Great balance of bedside manner with realities of a terminal illness. I would highly recommend her.

Highly recommended: Compassionate and Competent

I reached out to Catherine, based upon a friend’s previous experience, whose spouse had challenges related to a form of dementia. Catherine willingly accepted when I asked her to become part of my wife’s care team. My wife has Alzheimer’s disease and as the disease progresses, I realized I needed someone with experience: a proven track record. Catherine has an extensive medical and psychiatric background in working with individuals with Alzheimer’s and various forms of dementia. She is compassionate and competent and adds tremendous value in supporting me and my wife during these challenging times. I highly recommend Catherine as a practitioner and am confident that she will run and manage a supportive and first-class adult care center for seniors with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

Lifesaver

I couldn’t be more happier that a friend recommended me to Catherine. I recent had to place my husband into a memory facility and Catherine was there immediately. Prior to making her evaluation she took the time asking me about my husband. After she meet him she called immediately and gave the family a new diagnosis. I was blow away when I asked her if his tremors was Parkinson’s that was associated with the Alzheimer’s. She immediately told me that he didn’t have that but it was FTD dementia. Which explain a lot of his behaviors. I’ve been seeing a neurologist for three years and he kept telling me that he had early stage Alzheimer’s! Catherine know this field an is such great support advocate! She always takes the time to reach out after each of her visits! I’m blessed that she came into my life!

Catherine McDermott is invaluable!

When I first moved my mother here from Washington, DC (after being isolated because of COVID) her mental condition was not great. Catherine took the time to not only evaluate and diagnose my Mom correctly, but also to educate me about her condition, and how to handle the overwhelm that comes with a dementia diagnosis. She stays on top of what is going on at the facility where my mother lives, monitors her care plan, and communicates on a regular basis. My mother has improved significantly and is actually smiling and participating in events. Catherine goes above and beyond, not only in the amount of time that she dedicates to my Mom, but also to making sure that our family is supported. She is readily available to answer questions, transparently and honestly, and is informative and reassuring when decisions have to be made. Catherine McDermott is professional, patient, and most importantly, compassionate. In my opinion, you won’t find a better practitioner.

Superior dementia treatment professional

As my husband’s sole caregiver for his progressing dementia, I am most grateful for Catherine McDermott’s expert professional management of his condition. She has provided regular ongoing evaluation and treatment for his condition, as well as, advising me of what to expect as the disease progresses. She is very kind and supportive to both patient and me as family —but completely straight-forward and transparent in this disease’s progression. Catherine is readily available when concerns and questions arise during the course of treatment. I highly recommend her as a trusted medical professional!

Catherine immediately recognized that my mother was not only overmedicated, but also inappropriately medicated for her mental disease. Catherine was quick to give my mother a neuro cog screening interview. Within 3 weeks my mother was back to herself. Along with Dottie Foster, a MSW, who counseled my mother, my mother is doing extremely well. Should we ever need to move my mother to another ALF we will follow Catherine and her team of outstanding health care providers. Thank you so much.

Negligent in conducting Thorough evaluation, habitual liar. Should select another profession. caused significant harm reference my Mothers care.

When preparing for a second attempt at memory care for my mother, I brought her to Catherine for evaluation and medication review. My hope was to help my mother have a more successful transition to memory care. Catherine has been a godsend, after having been through rounds of medications prescribed by her Primary care and Neurologist, we have adjusted her medications based on testing that showed exactly what she is able to metabolize and what is not safe for her. She is doing much better and we have a plan for monitoring her wellbeing. She has demonstrated a thoughtful and cautious approach to dealing with her dementia and mental health. I finally feel like someone listened to my concerns and saw my mother as more than just another patient with dementia who needs to be medicated. She is honest about my mother’s future and prognosis, which is hard to hear, but I am thankful for the honesty and the compassionate approach to caring for her.

Anyone who is considering assistance with an older patient needs to run not walk to Catherine’s office. Her professionalism and compassion is guiding our family through a difficult time. We so appreciate her!!!

Mental illness is a real struggle and Catherine is a blessing, for the patient and for the family. She is compassionate, measured and thorough, knowledgeable, responsive, and brings more to the table than just her prescription pad. I remember the day I got the call from Catherine in 2017, asking me if she could be of assistance with my mom after Mom was discharged from the hospital. We talked for quite some time, and when we hung up, I cried. I cried because we had been adrift for several years this was the lifeboat we needed. Catherine is dedicated to her profession and dedicated to the people she serves. She advocates for her patients and cares for the family because she understands the importance of that support. Catherine takes the time to know and understand her patients. She makes herself readily available and is always straightforward with expectations. Catherine’s care for my mom and for our family has been nothing short of exceptional.

Catherine has provided health care for both my mother and step-father for the past several years. I have found her to be thorough, compassionate, caring and realistic. However, what I am most impressed with is her willingness to make herself available to me and my family. She is by no means a “check-the-box” physician but rather an informative, cooperative and collaborative partner. Having a mother who has significant dementia related issues along with a step-father with rapidly progressing Parkinson’s symptoms isn’t an easy combination. Catherine’s bedside manner is not only comforting but it’s informative as well. Simply put, she has provided our family with direction and knowledge within a very difficult and confusing landscape. I can’t thank her enough for everything she’s done and continues to do. As far I am concerned she is second none, truly a best-in-class provided who I highly recommend.

My wife was diagnosed with dementia some time ago and recently had a rapid extreme change in her condition. She was admitted to the hospital in hopes of stabilizing her before a move to a memory care community. The hospital was unable to stabilize her and wanted to discharge her to a psychiatric hospital which is perhaps the worst thing you could do to a loved one with dementia. I called Catherine and it was truly the best call I ever made. Catherine is an amazing person and an outstanding professional who knows how to treat psychiatric patients, especially geriatrics and individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Catherine stabilized my wife and helped me find an appropriate memory care community able to provide the specialized care she needs. It is because of Catherine that my wife is receiving the best care, and I can go and spend quality time with her. I will be forever grateful to Catherine for her help and compassion especially during a very difficult time.

My mother came down with severe anxiety and depression extremely rapidly and we went to every hospital and doctor from Sarasota to Tampa. No one was able to help mom and she was getting worse and worse until we met Catherine. Within a few weeks we started seeing great improvements to her condition. Catherine took the time to listen and understand all the issues we were seeing with Mom and she then put a plan in place. This plan has been working extremely well and we continue to see improvements almost daily. We are extremely involved in mom’s daily care and we always have a lot of questions and ideas. Catherine has always answered our calls and emails right away which is something we have not found with other care providers. Our entire family is so grateful that we found Catherine to assist in the care of our mother. She is amazing.

Catherine McDermott is simply amazing!!! If I could give her 10 stars out of 5, I would be more than happy to do so. My father had been seeing the same psychiatrist for over 15 years, and while he was doing ok, he never was his full self. After an unfortunate bad bout of anxiety and depression which landed my father at a psychiatric facility, he ended up at an assisted living/memory care facility. It was here that Catherine examined my father and with all of her knowledge and care recommended changes to his meds that not only got my father out of his “funk” but incredibly got my Dad to a point that my family had not seen out of him in decades. Catherine is caring, thorough, meticulous, follows up with family of her patients, even called my brother with follow ups regarding our father while she was on vacation miles and miles away. There literally is not enough great things I can say about Catherine.

Catherine McDermott is amazing. She has been caring for my Dad who has battled mental health issues for decades. Prior to meeting Catherine he bounced around different doctors for years and was not properly diagnosed and he was not on medication that helped him until Catherine became involved. Her care for him has been nothing short of a miracle. Unlike other doctors that appear to look at their patients as just another number, Catherine’s involvement and follow up care is a step above. We cannot express how grateful we are that Catherine is caring for my Dad. She truly is amazing and myself and my brothers feel blessed to have her helping our Dad.

Catherine McDermott is a true professional that made the last few years of my mother in law ‘s life so much more pleasant as she struggled with dementia. Getting to know our Betty, analyzing her meds, re-addressing meds and dosages as needed , and just caring so much were just a few of her amazing services. We were so blessed to have found Dr McDermott!!

Catherine McDermott has been helping us navigate the difficulties of Geriatric Dementia care for two years now. We don’t know what we would do without her. Immediately, she helped us change up medications which is why you should be working with a specialist like this for dementia. Our GP seemed to have a generic playbook for treating dementia patients. Catherine was able to tailor medications and care, making our suffering loved one so much more safe, and comfortable. Her care has made such a difference for everyone in the family, most importantly our loved family member with Alzheimer’s. We are so grateful to Catherine and highly recommend her to any family facing the challenges and obstacles of mental health and Alzheimer’s care.

Catherine McDermott has cared for a severely mentally ill family member for six years. During that time, my relative went from an average of one hospitalization/year with her previous provider to only one in six years which occurred during a trial to adjust medication dosing due to onset of worsening side effects. When my relative’s ALF tried to prevent her from returning when she was discharged from the hospital, Catherine went to bat with ALF management who relented and allowed my relative to return. With previous providers, my relative often refused medications which is why she kept ending up in the hospital. Catherine works miracles in getting her to take critical medication. Mental health care for the sickest of the mentally ill has to be one of if not the most difficult medical specialty. Bottom line: no matter how difficult things get, Catherine doesn’t give up. She is relentless in her pursuit to find solutions. My relative’s life is much better for it and ours are, too

My sister, brother and I had to put my mother in an ALF as she could no longer take care of herself. She was told by 2 different doctors that she had dementia. While she was in the ALF, she was seeing McDermott. My mother was so angry that I had a Power of Attorney and put her in an ALF. She wanted to go home — after several stints in the hospital, she was told she could not live on her own. This woman turned my mother against me and even tried to help my mother get another POA. She actually wrote me an email stating it was our fault my mother stopped eating and drinking. It destroyed our family until I got her out of the ALF. I had contemplated filing a formal complaint against her, but she was not worth the aggravation. Stay away from this provider.

Catherine is a very highly skilled behavioral health professional. She is able to figure out exactly what is going on simply by listening to the patient and family. She has been our savior when it comes to my Uncle. She was able to get more out of him then we have been and come up with a fair and honest plan of care. She has answered emails in a very quick time frame even on the weekend. In all my years I have never met anyone as honest and compassionate as Catherine. I trust her judgement wholeheartedly. She has such compassion for her job and it shows. I truly am so happy to have met her.

Catherine, has been working with my father and I for the past seven months. She has treated my father with respect and been exceptionally helpful in explaining to me in both broad concepts and specific detail the nature of dementia and the status of my father’s progression. Catherine’s knowledge and direct candor have been invaluable. She has made things clear in a very stressful time of confusion and sadness. She has provided me a sense of confidence in knowing we are doing the absolute best for my Dad. She has explained to myself and my family how to interact with Dad in a manner that is best for him. I am extremely grateful for her expertise, responsiveness, guidance and support.

Catherine spoke to about 30 people in our group who have been affected by dementia in some way and they came away pleased with the knowledge and patience she gave them and with the honest answers to their questions. Two of our people have received treatment from Catherine. I have not received treatment from her.

We were introduced to Dr McDermott when my father-in-law went to a memory care facility in town due to Parkinsons/Dementia. This was a big transition for all of us family members as well as my father in law. Dr McDermott was so helpful, anytime I had a question I would shoot her an email and she always responded back, and even spent time on the phone with me. I actually have never had a health care provider of any sort be so available to talk with. We ended up moving my father in law out of the facility, but continue to see Dr McDermott in her private practice. She has been helpful in creating the best plan of treatment for my father in law. We highly recommend her and her services.

I met Catherine shortly after my husband entered a memory care facility. My first impression was based on the astute, detailed observation she made of him on their first encounter. He was extremely active and agitated. She quite accurately described behaviors and interpreted them as they related to his dementia. Over the course of the next year and a half, she routinely kept me informed of even the slightest changes in demeanor and how she intended to address those through his medications and daily routine. Catherine always treated Bill with great respect and had a lovely rapport with him, right up until his death a few weeks ago. She also did an outstanding job supporting me in the challenging role of caregiver.

We absolutley Love this lady!! Catherine is Wonderful!! I tell everyone that we feel she saved our Mom! My mom was in the hospital and could not return home and was placed in memory care. Confused, paranoid and just terrible!! Not our Mom!!! It just ripped our hearts out seeing this once smiling, happy, loving Mom this way. The hospital doctors had her on all sorts of medications. It was at this memory care facility that we met Catherine! We talked to her about Mom and the type of person she is and she took it all to heart! We found out that Mom had an infection that they missed at the hospital!! We got that squared away then she looked into the medications they had Mom on and revised them. Within a short few months, we have our Mom back!!! Catherine has this Great Sense of Compassion for her patients. I know from working with her this is not a business but a compassion. We cannot thank her enough for all she has done for our Mom!!!! FYI Mom is no longer in Memory Care!

My mother has been in a health facility for a few months now, and our experience with Catherine has not been the greatest! She is brief in her visits, borderline condescending, and frankly we don’t feel that she really cares about her patients. I’m not one to complain but when it comes to my mother, I want whats best for her, and right now this lady is not the right ‘practitioner’ for my mother. We are currently looking into other recommendations, and will advise others as well.

Stay away from this provider.