About

It’s been a lifetime of holding onto the bed rails to manage health and the healthcare system, both inside and out. The earliest memory of managing health is while 6, holding onto the rails of my father’s bed in the halls of the VA Hospital on Court Street in Boston. He was one of many Veterans lining the halls waiting for their appointment. As the youngest of 7 my mother would take me along and as she went off to check on the paperwork I was assigned to stay put and keep Dad company. By then he already lost the use of his legs and it would be a few more years until his arm mobility went. I learned at the knee of my mother as she managed Dad’s health until she succumbed to cancer at 53. Amazingly Dad lived as a quadriplegic and at home until 6 years ago, due to his discipline of diet, staying connected in spirit and having incredible care managed by family and a cadre of extended caretakers. There were many mishaps and learnings along the way and it’s what I called upon during a recent personal health crisis. Questions are increasing from friends as they begin caring for their own parents, and I took in additional learning from the view while inside the system.  I wanted to find a way to give back and perhaps shorten the learning (and hopefully pain) for others. The complexity of managing health is too overwhelming for one person alone…so this is designed for us to work on it together. Share in the conversation with us! Joan.