Articles & Real-Life Stories: Errands and Concierge

Title: Feeling in Control of her Life

Preview: At age 78, and nearly blind, Mrs. Mary Lee Kraft is a resourceful, fiercely independent woman with a love for jazz. A widow since 1984, Mrs. Kraft has spent many hours making life better for County residents by volunteering with local service organizations since her retirement from Montgomery C...

Title: Just Like the Help of a Family

Preview: Marge is a long-time resident of Northern Virginia. Her career began as a journalist writing for Virginia Teacher's monthly magazine over 70 years ago and continued into the early years of her marriage. After her husband became a diplomat, Marge led the fascinating life of a Foreign Service Off...

Title: A Special Delivery

By: Lauren Searson

Preview: In the midst of busy schedules and unforeseen circumstances, it can become challenging to accomplish essential everyday tasks. Fortunately, there is a growing array of services that can meet various individual needs. Dolores McGutherie is one example proving just how beneficial taking advanta...

Title: Grateful for Extra Help

Preview: When Bill Tayler’s combat engineer battalion joined the war in Western Europe in 1944, he learned just how well his hometown had prepared him for the winter weather conditions. “Thankfully I was raised in Buffalo, N.Y., since it was the coldest winter in 10 years!” he said. When the war ...

Title: Staying Surrounded by Their Family and Belongings

Preview: For WWII Veterans Claire and Charlie Zampino, serving their country with honor was always the right thing to. Today, however, they are the ones being served in a different way with Right at Home, a home healthcare provider. Charlie is a highly decorated veteran as exemplified by his wall of ...

Title: The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Preview: When Carmody Bornemann was informed that she had to have her left leg amputated at the knee during the 2003 holiday season, she knew she had two choices. "You can either cry or you can laugh," she recalled thinking. "Obviously one is a much better option than the other." Before Carmody, who...

Title: Meals on Wheels

Preview: "Some days I don't know how I ever had time to go to work," says Katherine Gutberlet. Gutberlet enjoyed a long career with the Chesapeake & Potomac (C&P) Phone Company before retiring. During her 43 years of service, she moved up through the ranks-starting as a clerk and ending her career as a p...

Title: Home Care Providers Help Families Negotiate Challenges

Preview: In January 2005, Molly Borders realized that her family needed help. Her mother, Frances, was suffering from dementia. Although she had been recently discharged from the hospital, she was unable to safely return to her home in Chevy Chase and was living temporarily in an assisted living communi...

Title: Realizing You are not Alone

Preview: "A complex situation often cannot be handled by a single individual." This is the conclusion that Mrs. Suzanne Newhall reached when contemplating how she might manage her health problems, yet be able to remain in her beloved home on the Main Line. Mrs. Newhall, a former science librarian at...

Title: Retirement With a Personal Assistant

Preview: An energetic and passionate music lover, Ruth Rakoff started taking piano lessons at the age of five. Her only regret about her recent move is not realizing sooner that her apartment could have accommodated a piano. "This is the first home I have ever lived in without a piano. Music has always...

Title: An Easy Move

Preview: Neill and Brenda Miller met at an insurance company in Boston and were married shortly thereafter. The couple raised eight children and now enjoys spending time with their 19 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. They had been living in their family home in Ellicott City for 15 years w...

Title: Remaining Independent with Home-Delivered Groceries

Preview: An avid reader, Ema Jean Gorman enjoys books about science and the arts. Her Kensington apartment is lined with bookcases overflowing with interesting books. Ms. Gorman grew up in D.C., and after traveling and living all over the country, she returned to the city following WW II. She moved fro...