• I offer a FREE Initial Consultation
• I offer TeleAdvocacy Service
• I am insured
• My geographical area of practice is Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, Mesa, & Gilbert AZ

My maiden Aunt, Rita was my favorite aunt. She was single and fun and had a million friends. She had polio as a young adult, and although she had a deformed foot as a result, she lived her life to the fullest. Rita was independent and feisty and had a great sense of humor. She lived in an "independent living" apartment in Cambridge, MA, the city she lived in her whole life. She made her own decisions and did so until the day she died. She started to decline in her late 80's. Although she could still live on her own, she had a host of ailments, including diabetes & macular degeneration. At this point, she gave me a POA for financial & health care, even though I lived in Arizona. Financial was easy, as I could do everything online. Health care was more of a challenge. She still had the capacity to make her own decisions, but she often called upon my RN daughter and me to sort things out and explain her choices. I had many "discussions" with her PCP over a litany of issues, from drug selections to a persistent itching rash that plagued her off & on until her death. Most of my interactions with her providers were by phone, and they usually would do as I asked. At 92, Rita developed colon cancer and immediately went into hospice. I cared for her and was with her until she died. Rita had her affairs in order, including her paid-for funeral arrangements, recorded in her Advance Care Directive. I made one phone call to the mortuary, and everything she had planned was put into place. RIP, Auntie; thank you for your love, and I hope I make you proud.