I have worked in health care as a Registered Nurse for over 20 years in a wide variety of settings that include critical care, cardiac, hospice, emergency room, wound care, and psychiatric. During that time I have seen our health care system change dramatically. Practitioners are tasked to do more with less time and resources. As a result, patient care has suffered greatly, especially amongst the aging individuals, many of whom have a difficult time assimilating health info and advocating for themselves. Providers often don’t have the time to provide the needed guidance and education that is required to successfully manage chronic health conditions and new diagnoses. Aging individuals and their families are often overwhelmed by the complexity of their care and diagnoses. Managing care needs involves time, something that is a rare commodity for the loved one of the aging who may have a demanding job, live out of the area, have children to raise, or have health conditions themselves. Lastly, and something I see often, an aging individual often has cognitive impairment that adversely affects his/her ability to effectively manage care.

I experienced this on a personal level when my father needed care starting in 2017. He was having memory issues and not consistently following up with his health care needs. I became intimately involved in managing his care and had to take him to several specialists before getting an appropriate explanation for his memory loss: mixed dementia / Alzheimer’s. After much searching, I found a neurologist who was one of the best practitioners I have ever met. The extent of his medical work-up on my dad was much more extensive than the work-ups of the previous specialists. As a result, he was closely involved in my father’s care up until my dads’ passing in December 2021. 

My father’s health sharply declined starting in 2018. In addition to memory issues, he had ailments that included orthopedic, gastrointestinal, cardiac, pulmonary, endocrine, urinary, and integumentary systems. My dad was also having frequent falls, poor nutrition, and difficulty in remembering to take his medications. In addition, he was having such difficulty with his activities of daily living (ADLs) that I hired regular cleaners and an exterminator to improve the cleanliness of his home. I became so involved in my father’s care during 2018 that I hired two care companions to assist me.  They both quickly became part of our family. Interacting with these women gave my father immense joy and also helped relieve my workload in caring for him. By far the biggest benefit in hiring these care companions was that it allowed me precious moments to be my father’s daughter instead of his caregiver…..a role that I was sorely missing. 

I was intimately involved in my father’s care up until his passing in December 2021. By that time, I was not only his medical and financial power of attorney but also his guardian. My father’s memory had lapsed to the point that I had to obtain the legal recourse necessary to make all of his decisions. I had discussed my father’s long term wishes prior to his memory declining and was able to honor them when his health took a sudden turn for the worse at the end of 2021. Per his wishes I asked the hospital to place my father on hospice and I was able to bring him home with me. I had the honor of being my dad’s hospice nurse for 3 days until he succumbed to his illnesses and passed away on New Year’s Eve, 2021. My father died peacefully and comfortably in bed with me lying by his side, my hand in his. He passed away at home, with dignity and surrounded by love, something I fervently wish for every individual that is facing the end of life. 

My personal story, depicted above in a nutshell, has been the driving force in turning me away from the bedside as a nurse and towards my passion for eldercare consulting and management. I hope that every individual such as my father can have an advocate to assist with and manage their health care needs. 

In terms of my personal life, I am passionate about being of service and living a life with purpose. When I was younger, I travelled the world on my own with only a backpack and some laundry soap. The poverty and sickness I witnessed was a driving force in me becoming a nurse.  I have volunteered for multiple medical missions throughout the years in Haiti and Guatemala. I used to host an Alzheimer’s / dementia support group and I am on the Board of Directors for “Rescue Heart Foundation”, a non-profit organization that provides Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) to communities in need. I am a big animal lover. I used to volunteer at an animal shelter, and I have 3 fur-baby rescues. In my spare time I love to read, play sand volleyball, dance, travel, and go mountain biking with my husband.