Grandpa Cleo's Story
My grandfather Cleo was a wonderful caring man. Cleo was diagnosed with Dementia and while my grandma cared for him, she hid the progression of the disease from the family, even his 3 children. It was not until my grandmother became suddenly ill and passed away that the state of the disease process was realized. It was an eye opening occurrence when Cleo got lost on the interstate while traveling. Fortunately he had enough understanding to stop and get assistance.
Cleo at my high school track meet staying warm. This was far into his disease and the most cherished photo I have of him and my mother.
After the family observed the extent of Cleo's condition, he moved in with my family. I was 14 years old at the time. My mother, father, and I became his day to day caregivers. My mother, having worked with seniors with dementia, thought she was very capable of taking care of her dad at home. My mother and father had to take turns sleeping because Cleo was up wandering all night. Mom learned very quickly that being a caregiver is exhausting. It takes an emotional and physical toll on a person regardless to how much you love the person you are caring for.
My mother truly believed she could care for her dad long term, but the time came where she had to admit to herself that she wasn’t able to give him all the care he needed regardless to how much she loved him. Cleo was placed in a memory care.
Cleo had three children and all of them believed they had the best solution for his long term care. My mother, who was there for the worst and for the best of times of Cleo's disease and had experience in the care of seniors, took the lead and choose the place that was best suited for him.
Unfortunately, as happens in many of these situations, mom and her siblings had different views on what was best. The stress on the family fractured relationships and left lasting scars that have still not fully healed.
The story of Cleo is something that I have kept in the forefront of my mind through my entire career. He is my inspiration for helping loved ones find care and maintain strong family bonds. Cleo is the heart and soul of MRR Care Consultants and his memory lives on through the lives we touch.
About Megan Rothenberg | Owner/Founder
At age 16, A few years after my grandfather passed away, I started working for a CCRC (Continued Care Retirement Community) as a dietary aide serving meals in the Independent dining room. I loved every day working with the seniors and hearing their life stories. I knew exactly where each person sat, what they drank, and which entrée they would want. They were like family to me, which I missed when I went to college. It was after returning from college that I realized this was my calling and dedicated my life to working with seniors.
I started as an activity assistant at a community and was quickly promoted to Activity/Social Service Director. Over the course of my career I have been fortunate enough to have worked in every type of senior care including: Independent, Memory, Assisted, and Skilled Nursing care.
Having grown up in Indiana, I moved to Chicago to take a position overseeing the Activity and Nursing departments in upper management. I worked closely with the seniors and their families in the community. I witnessed the difficulty of transitioning for both the senior and their families. I was glad to be in a position to provide support for both sides and insure a smooth transition occurred.
Since my transition into the management, I have had the opportunity to fill many roles throughout senior care. Over the past 17 years, most of which were spent in the greater Chicagoland area, I have experienced, toured, and worked with hundreds of communities. I have experienced senior living from the professional and personal perspective with my own family within Independant, Assisted, Memory, CCRC, In-Home, and Skilled levels of care.
While I love all aspects of senior care, memory care is my passion and expertise as that is what drove me into this profession. While many people struggle with the challenges of memory care, I thrive on it. I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to create and develop my very own Memory Care program. I oversaw and trained the caregivers for the company, and worked directly with the seniors. In this role I worked closely with the marketing department and delivered outside education to the public on Dementia.
My heart and soul is in the senior community and this is what led me to start MRR Care Consultants. I want to help seniors find the best place to call home. Multiple moves are often hard on seniors, so finding a place that has all your needs the first time is key. I know the inner workings of the communities and what happens after move in.
I am first and foremost an advocate for the senior. I work for you! I will help you and your family through this process with ease. Every senior is unique, has unique needs, and deserves one on one attention. My goal is to provide the knowledge and power to trek through this journey and remain by your side the whole way.
Next Steps...
I look forward to answering any questions and helping guide you down the path of senior care. Contact me to learn where to start.
