Phone: 574-607-8120
Shelley Pillado 
It’s Just Making Everything Heavier. Guilt has a way of sneaking into care partnerships and making everything feel heavier than it already is. And honestly? It doesn’t deserve the power we give it. As I was writing this, the song War by Edwin Starr popped into my head. Suddenly, my brain rewrote it: 🎵 Guilt! … Read more
Here’s Why I’d Do It Again. By the Fourth of July, we welcomed our second resident. Her name was Marla. Marla wasn’t a stranger to me. She had once been my patient in a long-term care facility. She broke her hip, went to rehab, but something wasn’t right. The bone wasn’t healing. Further testing showed … Read more
(And Why “Support” Has to Mean More Than Just Listening) A close friend reached out to me recently and asked a simple question: “Do you know of any support groups?” She didn’t ask dramatically.She didn’t fall apart on the phone.She asked the way doers ask. You know the type. The people who don’t let the … Read more
We learn during seasons of change. This is what I learned. I Cried Today. The text came out of nowhere. The words are heavy.Weighted down with exhaustion and guilt. I knew it was coming eventually.But I didn’t expect it to be at 7:35 p.m. on a Sunday night, while I was stretched out in the … Read more
(And Why Preparation Changes Everything) A true story about becoming prepared and grounded with guidance. Mary looks me in the eye as she takes a long, slow breath in. “To be honest, I am so overwhelmed. I’m struggling and I know I am going to have to go through this again in another 15 years … Read more
And Walked Away From “Cookie-Cutter Care” For Good A true story about soup, presence, and building the kind of home I would live in This is our story. This is how we got here today. And if you’re trying to figure out what to do for your mom or dad, you’ll understand why we built … Read more
What a Renovation Taught Us About Seeing What Still Matters Some things announce themselves before you even see them. You could smell the sawdust before stepping inside. The air was thick with it. Sawdust and sweat. The honest kind of work that settles into your clothes and doesn’t wash out easily. Rafa’s hands were blistered … Read more
What is to become of it? How many times does it take for an occupational therapist and a construction engineer to figure out a layout? I lost count somewhere around eight. Close to eight trips, walking through, measuring, sketching, erasing, and re-sketching—nothing about this place was straightforward. Picture this: behind the office sat a mechanics … Read more
The purchase… Wow, it was scary, I mean filled with junk, to the ceiling in some places…scary. A small white house very obviously neglected sits farther back from the road that it’s flanking neighbors. There is no driveway, no noticeable path to the front door, not a single footstep in the yard. The snow sat … Read more
Marla’s family has a secret…one that she wants to share with all of you. Marla has been undergoing changes in her cognitive function for at least five years. Recently celebrating her 89th birthday, she is blessed with three wonderful sons who visit her weekly, along with one son who comes by every day. Her three … Read more
