Testimonials

The Elder Care World Is So Vast and Full of So Much Information

"I highly recommend families hire help as they start to manage their aging parents care, and I highly recommend the services of Aging Well Eldercare. There is so much you don’t know about if you do not work with them. My parents were very independent and did not want help from their adult children. They did not want to bother us and as they aged did not realize how confused and ill they were. Susy Murphy was a godsend in a very intense situation. I don’t know what I would have done without her. No one ever talks about caring for your aging parents so we don’t get information on this to prepare ourselves ahead of time. Susy gave me so much information about diet, nutrition, how normal it is for aging parents to protest needing help (and what to do about it), and how to intervene and help them. Caring for your aging parents is not just visiting them and seeing how they are doing. A care manager helps you talk to them about end of life paperwork, how to help them eat well, shares info on physical therapy, insurance, nursing care, home care, and what doctor visits might be needed etc. I had no idea the elder care world was so vast and full of so much information. Many thanks to Susy and her staff for their excellent help. They work very hard so you can love you loved ones as much as possible at their end of life, and give them a peaceful , comfortable end of life. Both my mother and father were very grateful for the excellent care they received at their end of life. They thanked me often for being so well cared for. I thank Susy Murphy and her team for all their hard work and excellent advice shared. It was a wonderful gift to give my parents as their end of life and I could not have done it as well without their help. "

I Had An Extremely Competent & Wonderful Care Team

"Thank you so much for all you did to help me & my husband cope with his condition. At the end I had an extremely competent & wonderful care team who were instrumental in helping my husband live as good a life as was possible given his illness, and it's because of you that I felt confident and competent enough to find the wonderful caregivers who made all the difference in his and my quality of life.

You also helped me so much with so many different things -- from securing blood draws, medications, vaccinations, VA & hospice assistance, a good rehab facility when he needed it, equipment, supplies, and so much more -- and your wise counsel, calm & competent manner, and kind care and responsiveness, especially when we needed it most as his condition manifested in increasingly difficult symptoms, were critical in giving him a longer and fuller life than might be expected from this terrible disease. In addition, you helped me enhance my own coping skills & knowledge about the disease and its management, lowered my stress level considerably and instilled confidence in me that I could manage this highly stressful situation.

I cannot thank you enough for all you did, you are an incredibly special person, and I feel lucky to have had you advise me during this really difficult time."

AWE Staff Members Are a Reflection of Their Leader

"We were already grateful for Scott. To us, Scott was like one of Dad's California friends except he was a local! He complimented what Dad was getting in assisted living. At the same time, he was a professional serving as eyes and ears for colleagues who saw Dad in person less often.

Darcy: If there were no Debbie's Angels, we would have had no Scott. Thank you so very much for running this critical program. We so valued, outright *enjoyed*, the weekly reports.

Bree: We can't imagine the last few years without your support, your wise counsel, and simply your kindness and caring. Any time we had a question or stress about *anything* related to Dad, we could turn to you and you would move us forward productively.And because we had someone like you serving as primary contact for medical issues, *we* could focus on supporting Dad's well being in other ways.We also don't want to imagine Dad's final weeks without you. You are a clear, thorough, truly *gifted* communicator, with, to boot, the ability to make people laugh and feel better. We weren't dealing with "pleasurable" topics yet it was a *pleasure* to read your emails and to talk with you.

Susy: You *set us up* for success. You helped us evaluate living options for Dad. You helped us evaluate healthcare options and you made other referrals. You provided Alzheimer's advice. Post move, you continued to be a source of support. We saw for ourselves just how effective an advocate you are for your clients during times when filling in for Bree. Of course, we are so grateful for the time you spent on the phone with us one evening during Dad's final days, helping us understand where in your experience things could be going.

Thank you also to Teresa B. and all AWE staff who supported us behind the scenes. If AWE staff members are a reflection of their leader, then we can't imagine a better one than you."

We Thank You For... a Tagline

"Finally, we thank you for... a tagline. When Mike first saw "We are like wedding planners for growing older" he said to himself, "That is as effective as *any* tagline I've ever seen." To us, it communicated *this*... What if growing older, like a wedding, was a *positive* momentous occasion? One can be happy in this stage of life. Like a wedding, it involves careful consideration and coordination. Like a wedding, you hire professionals to help. Like a wedding, when you succeed, you get to step back and be grateful for choices made and efforts in the face of challenges. Thankfully *we* chose to retain for our father a "wedding planner for growing older" and, especially now, *we* get to step back and be grateful. Dad resided in Maryland for almost 5 1/2 years. And, given what had to be addressed on this end for a move to happen, it was actually almost *6 1/2 years* that we worked with you. *Thank you,* more than words can express, for *all* you contributed to Dad's wellbeing, and ours."

Thank You From a Very Grateful Client

"It was thanks to you that I discovered the perfect facility for my wife and it is living up to my expectations. I visit her almost every day, drive her to the quaint little town nearby and we go for a brisk walk. She has been at her most serene when riding in the car. Perhaps it reminds her of her traveling days. A few of her close friends who live nearby come with me sometimes. I am back to being a husband, not a caregiver."

Trained Second Set of Eyes & Ears

"Words cannot even begin to express how grateful I have been for your support for the past 4 years. I still remember the day we met at my mother’s Van Ness apartment. You calmly assessed the situation and helped me establish some stability over a situation that was beginning to spiral out of control. Having a trained second set of eyes and ears during the times of difficult decision making was a tremendous source of comfort. Without you, we never would have found the perfect facility which for my mom and our family was a Godsend."

Godsend

"Thank you for everything you did for my parents. We could not have functioned without you. Your help added many months to the lives of my parents. You were a Godsend. God bless the work that you do."

Articulate, Intelligent & Thoughtful Advocate

"Just want to tell you again how happy we’ve been to have you as my brother’s care manager. You have had many new ideas that have been very helpful in meeting his needs. You respond quickly and clearly to any inquiry we have and you have been an articulate, intelligent and thoughtful advocate for my brother. After many years he is finally getting the help he needs."

Terrific Options & Support

"Just a quick note to let you know how wonderful our care manager was with my dad, she really got at the heart of things, offered terrific options and support. We feel relieved that we have someone in our corner. Thank you for sending her our way and making it happen quickly, so we could get some relief personally and for our dad."

Cannot Thank You Enough

"I wanted to thank you for being an advocate, friend and family for the past 5 years. Thank you for all the little things: TV, the fruit, sugarless candy, and the sugarless gum. Thank you for all the big items too… healthcare conferences, medical chart reviews, staying after the staff about dental care, eating and a whole host of other things. As I told you, I did not feel our client was alone, because she had you. I know her passing was hard on you because you were so close to her. I cannot thank you enough. Thank you for stepping in and the extra hours to see that she was not alone in her final hours. Thank you for arranging for the private duty aides and overseeing her care and conveying the information back to me."

Amazingly Helpful

"We were suddenly confronted with a crisis because of a fall complicated by Parkinson’s disease. Our care manager was amazingly helpful. She advised us on Rehabilitation Hospitals and helped us navigate the necessary steps to accomplish that. She visited and ascertained that my husband needs were being met."

A Big Difference

"I wanted to tell you how much we loved our nurse care manager. She was enormously helpful and supportive. She made a big difference in all our lives. I deeply, deeply appreciate all she did."

Hard Work & Compassion

"Thank you for all of your hard work, compassion and being a listening ear for both me and my father. He really liked you and you being there helped his many transitions. Thanks for everything."

Things Were Going to Get Better

"I wanted you to know that my dad called me tonight as soon as I walked into the house from work, and thanked me for sending you two wonderful care managers to help him take care of Mom and him. He sounded very tired, but the kind of tired that sounded like he could finally relax and know that things were going to get better. Unbelievably, I think you two have done a wonderful job of appealing to his desire to continue to live in the house but be able to take good care of Mom. I was so happy to talk to Dad and I had tears running down my face as they are now. THANK YOU for your efforts, caring and your kindness in dealing with my parents. It’s just been a fantastic miracle for our family."

Worked Tirelessly

"I can’t begin to express how much our care manager has helped my uncle and our entire family in making sure he is being taken care of as well as possible and in helping us arrange to have him transferred to a nursing home in Western New York. Our care manager has worked tirelessly to make sure my uncle’s every need has been met and has been in communication with me every step of the way. She has consistently gone out of her way to anticipate needs and details that I would have never thought of. Honestly, I just can’t imagine what I would have done without her. I only wish that she could be in New York to continue taking care of my uncle. I can’t imagine we could ever find anyone even close in excellence to take her place. Because of her, I will heartily recommend Debra Levy Eldercare Associates to any and all friends and colleagues who may be in need of assistance with an elderly person in their lives."

Guidance & Setting Limits

"We have been extremely pleased and comforted by the care management that your staff has provided for my mother and our family. Susy Murphy is indeed a skilled, kind, warm and knowledgeable care manager. She did a great job of giving guidance and setting limits with my mother’s caregivers. We have appreciated all of the support and assistance."

An Exceptional Investment

"As the adult child of a parent who was facing health challenges... I strongly recommend working with the team at Debra Levy Eldercare. Whether it's understanding and working through a hospital admission and discharge, finding resources for all aspects of home health care, or evaluating different housing alternatives, the Debra Levy team was accessible, efficient, knowledgeable, and responsive. They helped us find high quality professional resources, responded quickly when were were in a time crunch and alerted us to potential problems in advance so we were ready. Their agency name helped open doors and let other services know we were "legit" and made an otherwise very difficult process much easier, with a great combination of knowing the market, knowing the system and directing us to high quality resources. Working with the Debra Levy Eldercare team was an exceptional investment and certainly paid for itself through care quality, time savings, and peace of mind."

Superbly Informed and Compassionate

"I have had the pleasure of working with Susy Murphy and her team at Debra Levy Associates, in the management of elderly patients with neurological disorders in my Neurology Practice. I am frequently impressed with their depth of participation, their knowledge and insight in the health care of my patients. They are superbly informed, compassionate and responsive to the patients varying needs. Debra Levy Associates has inserted itself as an integral part of Healthcare for the elderly in the Metropolitan DC area."

Peace of Mind

"Meeting our care manager as the smart, friendly, kind, and competent face of this fantastic service provided us with great peace of mind. Our care manager understood the multiple challenges posed by our father... For the first time in nine years, we're breathing easier knowing that your care manager is in our corner — and even more importantly, in his."

What a Gift You Are

"What a gift you are for my mom and me! You not only have the perfect touch when it comes to approaching my mom's generation, but your knowledge of music and women's interests is fantastic... I love the details you give. It's like being there and I'm so happy we found you. You're a godsend for this faraway daughter who loves her parents so much!"