My name is Katherine Davis. I am a nurse, mom, retired midwife and passionate advocate for families. In my younger years, this meant supporting attachment parenting and assisting families with preparing for the birth of their children. In my current life, I have taken that philosophy of attachment in the family and applied it to the most fragile members, our Elders, as they transition from independence to interdependence in their aging. Daily, I hear about the challenges the middle generation (my generation) faces trying to balance parenting their children and being advocates for their parents’ changing needs.
I know this struggle, this dance on a tightrope of needs, having raised my teenagers through the last 6 years of my mother’s life, much of that punctuated with medical visits, hospitalizations, unexpected behaviors, and generally a lack of planning and a lot of “crisis” reactivity. In retrospect, I can see how I could have set us all up (3 generations) for success, but didn’t have the tools to anticipate the needs of my loved ones. Now I take that knowledge and wish to share it with you, fellow travelers.
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. It is my fondest desire that you find support, hope and maybe a pearl or two of wisdom that is of use to you in your own journey with your aging family.
Many blessings,
Katherine Davis, RN, BSN, CCM