LIVING CARE AND DESIGN

Welcome

I am a Caregiver Consultant & Patient Care Advocate.

I run Living Care and Design from Iowa City, Iowa, USA. I work with folks locally and far afield, in person and virtually. You can learn more about me HERE or watch the video below.

Living Care Experience
I have been a full time primary caregiver for family members in exceedingly difficult circumstances. I personally understand the isolation and desperation that arises from suddenly finding one’s self in that situation.

I have also helped people navigate serious illnesses and cancers. I have worked as a spiritual counselor (non-denominational), helping people find their way through difficult times.

Below are my some of my current focus areas…

  • helping primary caregivers navigate difficult realities
  • offering Planning Sessions via video, phone, or in person when possible
  • helping those who have received a cancer diagnosis and are wondering how it all works
  • offering virtual support calls/emails for those who live in isolating circumstances or locations
  • For those that live near Iowa City, I offer in person meetings and respite care

Design Experience
I have worked in the tech field for quite some time and incorporate that into what I offer. I specialize in taking your unique needs and designing useful tools around those needs. I create customized things like:

  • medication dosage and tracking sheets
  • calendars for tracking doctor appointments for yourself or a loved one
  • calendars for tracking your away time from home and scheduling in-home helpers
  • setting up virtual home tours to help evaluate your living situation in order to create the safest space possible for at home care for yourself or a loved one
  • creating “crash plans” plans for the future so that you are better prepared before the worst might happen

Book and Podcast
If you are a caregiver for someone with dementia or a terminal cancer (or perhaps any other difficult caregiving scenario), I can empathize and I created a podcast just for you. “Us At Our Worst: A Caregiver’s Unvarnished Account of Cancer & Dementia Care During the Peak of the Covid Pandemic” is based on my actual journal entries from my time as a full time live-in caregiver for my mother and father in 2019-2021. I have recounted this story so others would know that they are not alone in their experiences. I don’t interview anyone, as in most podcasts, instead it’s just me, reading directly from my journal entries in this 30-episode podcast arc (available on most listening apps). The book version should be coming out soon! Click the image below to start listening.