Why We Do This

I remember one summer when we went to visit my dad’s family in Chicago. My parents arranged for my grandmother to stay at a local nursing home for the 10 days that we would be gone. After a few days we received a call from the nursing home. They did not know where my grandmother was. We waited helplessly for hours and wondered, “how can an elderly woman who can barely walk escape a nursing home without being detected?” Finally, the nursing home called and said that they had found her sitting at a bus stop a few blocks away. That day, we called a vigilant neighbor and asked her to check on my grandmother at the nursing home. She agreed to visit over her lunch hour and after she clocked-out at work. 

Over the years, my mom and I have checked-in on elderly neighbors, volunteered at nursing homes and State-operated assisted living facilities, and I serve as a Court appointing Guardian ad Litem to check on our elderly and disabled individuals who might need a neutral and attentive person to take a second look at their situation and report back to the Court.