I started Second Daughter to ease the kind of stress I felt as my own parents got older. I was constantly pulled between supporting them from across the country while keeping pace with my career as a federal executive and our own family life here in Falls Church, VA. 

 

My parents were in their 50s when they moved from Reston, VA to live their second chapter in California. For years, everything was great. But over time I felt things shifting. The house looked less cared for. Mail and paperwork were piling up everywhere. The Christmas tree we decorated in December was still standing in March. Getting to routine medical appointments got challenging as my parents decided to limit their driving, exacerbating otherwise manageable health conditions.

 

Their world grew smaller. And lonelier. My mom became depressed, and I grew increasingly stressed trying to help from 3,000 miles away.

 

We engaged a home care agency, and the caregivers we met were kind and dedicated. But for my parents—lifelong educators and musicians—it wasn’t the right fit. They didn’t need home nursing care in the traditional sense. What they needed was a trusted person to help them maintain their home, health and lifestyle—to preserve their sense of autonomy with a little help.

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A home health aide was not in a position to call the HVAC company, manage cleaners and handymen, dig out a piece of music from the back of the closet, start the spring garden, manage the mail, navigate medical portals and app, or ensure my extroverted stepdad could attend  his lodge meetings. As their hearing declined, they needed a trusted person there to listen at doctor appointments and make sure prescriptions were picked up. ​

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My life became a cycle of cross-country trips to sort paperwork and resolve a backlog of errands and home repairs. It was a lot. And it revealed to me a real gap in the support services available to seniors and their families. 

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It is this gap that Second Daughter is designed to fill. I provide hands-on home management and meaningful engagement that help sustain quality of life, reduce isolation, and ease the burden on family members.

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​I intentionally work with a small number of clients so I can get to know them and provide the right services. Building a comfortable, trusting relationship—and delivering the right support with care—matters to me.

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A final note:  you will find this website speaks in terms of "we."  At this time, "we" is "me." This is a young business and I want to ensure that my vision for a high-standard of service delivery, integrity and connection is fulfilled before I expand.

 

If I can help your family, I’d love to connect.