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The Resource Guide for Seniors, Caregivers & Professionals |
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The Founder, Ron Holeway
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My younger brother passed away in 1980. Then, Dad died in 1985 leaving Mom alone. I faced a whole new set of concerns - caring for Mom from thousands of miles away in California. This was the ultimate nightmare for any caring son. Mom, thousands of miles away, alone and needing help. I didn’t know where to turn. Was Mom taking her medication? Was she able to get in and out of bed on her own? Did she eat today? I knew she was vulnerable, and without anyone close by to help her out, her well-being was very compromised. There were agonizing phone conversations - Mom would call with a problem and I couldn’t help her. Worse, I didn’t know where to turn to get her the help she needed. With no information available to me, the best I could do was guess at who I should call. - Published in The Hammond Times in late December 1950 At that time, I had to stumble around to find the right kind and quality of care I knew she needed. A frustrating experience made all the more so by the lack of any complete source of information. Later, the Lake Area United Way published a Directory of Senior Services that served as the inspiration for this book.It included listings of many services seniors like Mom could use. The Grifflth Senior Center, homemaker services, visiting nurses, meals on wheels, a telephone reassurance program and more. We’ve picked up where they left off and put together Care MATTERS®...The Resource Guide for Seniors, Caregivers & Professionals.
My mother passed away in June ‘97. Care MATTERS® has become a labor of love
dedicated to her memory and that of my father and brother. I hope
this publication will make it easier for seniors and caregivers to find proper care for their
loved ones. And that the information within will help foster greater understanding of the needs
of everyone involved in Senior Care.
Sincerely,
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I was eight years old in September of 1950 when my
Mother was rushed to St. Margaret’s Hospital in
Hammond, Indiana with what we would soon discover was
Polio. After therapy at St. Catherine’s many months later she
came home in the wheelchair in which she would spend the
rest of her life. What I remember most about that time was
that where she used to take care of me, now I would need to
help my Dad take care of her. A pretty tall order for a little
guy.