Inspiring wonderful places to grow up and grow old by fostering care communities and care economies for & by neighbors.
This story is about coming alive, not bashing the government. In fact, I worked for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services—at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and later in the Office of Inspector General (OIG)—and found that feds in my orbit seemed driven by what drove me: A deep and sincere…Continue reading Are we truly serious about healing and living long & healthy lives?
Last time, I said that my mother only does as well as I can care for her. It’s a kindness, then, for me as a caregiver—and you, if it applies—to care for myself by saying “no” judiciously. After too long of saying yes too much when caring for my father when he was alive, I…Continue reading I made caregiving miracles by saying no
As a daughter, my mother is my mother. As a family caregiver, my mother is my customer / client: she gets services from me. As a village maker, neighbors are my primary customers. Or people who’ll “buy into” caring for folks nearby. The idea for Vertical Village Alliance grew directly from my childhood as an…Continue reading Making what’s missing to serve your “customers”
I told a friend that I’m ditching the phrase “care crisis,” which I picked up from someone else in the first place. That isn’t to say that all is well in the world of care, but that problems and solutions can’t occupy our brains at the same time. When we call something a crisis, we…Continue reading Care crisis or prosperity opportunities?
It was obvious once I heard it but, to my embarrassment, it hadn’t occurred to me before: When Black people were fighting to sit at the front of the bus, people with disabilities were fighting to get on the damned things. Fast forward many years from my “how didn’t I see that?” moment ’til now….Continue reading Working until death: a fate for many with disabilities
There’s a saying that goes, “If you want to take the island, burn the boats.” Attributed to different people, it means “if you’re determined to advance, eliminate your means of retreat.” Like when I quit my job vs. taking a sick leave of absence: the latter would have let me return easily if the going…Continue reading Making a minimum viable village
My friend put his face close to mine looking eager for an answer to his question: “How did you get your parents to leave their house?” he wanted to know. Sadly, my answer didn’t help him much because my father’s doctor literally ordered him out of my parents’ three-story house to avoid stairs, which was…Continue reading Telling Mom it’s time to move and other tricky care conversations
Apparently, my father’s skin was a topic of conversation among his hospice team for how beautiful it was. Nature was certainly on his side but it also helped that I gave him collagen. Collagen is a protein found in skin, bones, connective tissue & elsewhere in the body. Beef tendon is a staple in some…Continue reading Using collagen and chlorophyll for health & treating bedsores
Locking down at home was nothing new for many workers. As caregivers, some of us had been in quasi lockdown for years before 2020, unable to leave the house for more than 1-2 hours to meet the needs of loved ones requiring constant care. That said, at one point while caregiving for my father it…Continue reading Wound care’s growing potential to hold workers hostage
My connection with my former neighbor deepened in the parking garage: With one load of groceries by the elevator, she was trudging from her car with load #2 with baby on hip and phone to ear. Not wanting to interrupt her conversation, I mouthed, “I got it,” while relieving her of a bag carrying a…Continue reading Starting a personal village in five simple steps