“ There’s nothing more noble in the history of humanity than to help people who are not as well-off as you are. By “you” I mean people in general. One of the tenents of sobriety that AA taught me is, when I can, to throw myself into helping someone who needs it. A week ago…
Please meet Madre Vilma, the Mother Superior in Esquipulas. Here is her story of how she came to dedicate her life to serving elders. The elderly are living stories, older people of experiences, young of heart. My beloved congregation has taught me that to see an old man, a child, a needy young…
Dignity, compassion, and a good death. Please meet Isabel Gonzalez, the psychiatrist who works with the Congregation of Martha and Mary, in Esquipulas. As I translated her responses to my questions, I found myself moved to near-tears. These are truly amazing and heroic women. Here is what Isabel sees when she looks at these…
After my father died, I went to live with Mom for a while. It was a good time in my life to move in with her and check to see if she’d be able to handle living alone, and to get her sorted with her own new life. Turns out, Mom had dementia. We hadn’t…
Free Yourself: 5 Easy Tips for Dumping your Demented Parents Tired of those old parents weighing you down and ruining your social schedule? Weary of listening to babbling from a demented, wrinkled, helpless mom or dad? Want to free yourself of basic responsibilities? Well, we can help! Here, in our free and handy guide, we’ll…
Greetings to all, I am very sorry to report some sad news out of Pharping. Two of the elderly women who lived at the elder care home there have passed away from old age. They were both considered very old by Nepal standards. While one woman had a difficult life prior to being brought to…
Does it feel as if 2021 ran longer than 2020? That’s kind of how it feels to me…as if 2021 had a lot more than 365 days in it. Fortunately, that year is behind us, and we have a new one to start fresh. Our friends at the shelter in Port Townsend are staying as…
Once again, we find ourselves in the midst of yet another pandemic holiday season. (If I were younger, I’d know how to insert an emoji of me banging my head against a wall in frustration.) Pandemic or no, we are always focused on homeless elders, and so two days ago we delivered our first hot…
“Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you.” ~ unknown This week, we’re meeting Jerry, 64 years old, and one of the homeless people who’s getting a hot meal thanks to you. Jerry suffers from a brain injury he received in his 30s. While he used to have steady…