About the Foundation

The Maudens Foundation was established as a nonprofit organization on June 19, 2002 by Leonard Maudens, Lonnie Nolta, and Austin Cooper. In Mr. Maudens own words,

“so that those who follow do not have to endure any unnecessary hardships associated with debilitating diseases. I envision a campaign of education and recognition to preserve the dignity and quality of life of those of us in our final years. Towards that end I establish the Maudens-Wintz Foundation.”

On August 15, 2000, Leonard Maudens was accepted at the Belgian Rose, Lakeport, California. The Belgian Rose was a Residential Care (Assisted Living) Facility for the Elderly owned and operated by Hazel Wintz. Upon his admission, Mr. Maudens was diagnosed with extremely advanced Parkinson’s Disease with a life expectancy of less than 2 months. Hazel Wintz had operated the Belgian Rose for well over a decade, and before that had practiced as a Pharmacy Technician. Additionally, she often attended advanced educational programs on senior care. Because of her education and experience, she saw that there was still a spark of life glowing in Mr. Maudens’ eyes, and was unwilling to accept his poor prognosis. With uncharacteristic tenacity, she sought a second, third, fourth, and even fifth expert medical opinion, search for that rare clinician who would look beyond the bias of agism and provide Mr. Maudens with the care that he deserved.

After much persistence, Dr. James Tetraud, of the Parkinson’s Institute of Sunnyvale, California, relented and agreed to do a brain scan. It clearly showed that the cause of Mr. Maudens’ condition was an excess build-up of fluid pressure in his brain, medically known as Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. Armed with this information, Dr. Gary Heit performed a surgical procedure to relieve the pressure on January 10, 2001. Mr. Maudens immediately regained his speech and the use of his limbs; the other symptoms also rapidly subsided.

For the past 5 years, Mr. Maudens had been treated for Parkinson’s Disease by 3 different physicians. His last line of defense turned out to be a residential care provider who would not accept “No” as an answer to whether there was anything more that could be done for this brilliant and successful elder gentleman.

As a result of Leonard Maudens’ recovery, several events transpired. The closeness and bonding that had occurred during his care blossomed into love, and Leonard’s proposal of marriage to Hazel Wintz. They were married on June 2, 2003. Secondly, to further express his gratitude, he established a charitable foundation to provide continuing education and a financial incentive for professional care-givers to go that extra mile. Shortly after their marriage, the Foundation was renamed to The Maudens Foundation for Recognition of Achievements in Eldercare, Inc.