This page is under construction. 
This page is part of a project for a course, it is not currently monitored or updated on a regular basis.
Some elements of this page are created for the project.

A Little About
​Myself.

I'm a woman who thinks outside the box and colors outside the lines. I've been called a rebel and a renaissance woman. I am a free spirit and a free thinker.  I am unapologetically "too much" while claiming my space in the world.  I am committed to helping people understand and navigate the challenges of family caregiving, and creating a space where we can meet our needs and those of our family members.

After nearly 3 years as an unpaid, full-time, burnt out family caregiver, for a partner with spinal cord injury (SCI), I stopped begging for community based providers to help us solve the never-ending challenges of life as a SCI family.  I took matters into my own hands, using my 25+ years in Human Services & Advocacy to reimagine long-term care solutions after SCI.  In a moment of synergy, I connected with our local PACE Program where the PACE model of care is changing our lives. 

​Finally having a little bit of a break from the hamster wheel of caregiving duties, I could see how I had been neglecting myself but I still wasn't sure where to start to find my way back to myself again.  I was making lists and plans but not taking enough action.  My body and my brain had had enough of my self-care procrastination.  I had a stress related heart attack.  I spent three days in the hospital, going over all of the time I had spent not taking care of myself, not prioritizing myself, thinking I had all the time in the world to start a self-care routine.    I believe I can share what I have learned with other women who are searching before you find yourself in the back of an ambulance wishing you  had started earlier too.  

Being a family caregiver is hard even when it is rewarding.  The emotional labor is as significant as the daily personal and medical care duties.  As women,  we are often socialized to see the necessity of caregiving as something we are just meant to do, so when we struggle it can feel like we are failing.  We are not.  

I am honest about the challenges and realities we face. You won't find "tips" you don't have the time or resources to put in place here.  You will find examples and ideas that I am sharing about my experience.  I hope you find something useful for your self care journey, and something that may make your life as a family caregiver a little easier. 

​I love to create, solve problems, build relationships and community, and develop operational efficiency plans for work and life.  Each of these areas rely on, and promote, self-care.  There is nothing more important than learning why and how to put ourSelves at the top of the to-do list.  

Current Caregiver Research Project

What if we could reimagine Long-Term Care Solutions After Spinal Cord Injury? What if we could create partnerships in our communities with organizations that have already figured out how to do long-term car really well?
Sources Include:  Northeast Passages, University of New Hampshire, Mass.gov, National PACE Association, United Spinal, Lowell Sun newspaper, AARP, Caregiver.org, CDC, 

My Portfolio.

Get In Touch.
If you have ideas about long-term supports for SCI families and caregivers, let me know.