About Us

During my childhood, my mother encountered significant mental health and cognitive challenges, which ultimately led to her being institutionalized for an extended period.

Her situation was deeply tragic, rooted in a medical error in 1974 that had a profound impact on our entire family, ultimately leading to a diagnosis of Dementia.

As I reflect on my early career at CentraCare, the community psychiatric hospital where I was employed and where my mother resided, I recall receiving numerous calls from colleagues in the unit, encouraging me to visit my mother in the active treatment ward during my shifts, especially during her moments of distress.

Both mental health and disabilities have significantly influenced my life and career.

In 2015, after years of my mother being institutionalized and after my own family had established their lives, I committed to enhancing my mother’s quality of life by transitioning her from a nursing home to reside with me. I recall how frail she was at that time.

In the initial months following her relocation from an institutional environment to a home setting, my mother experienced a range of challenges—she often slept, cried, struggled to walk, was largely non-verbal, and required constant support and reassurance.

Due to her excessive medication and sedation, she initially could not recognize any of us or understand her surroundings, despite our efforts to comfort her. Her moments of awareness were fleeting, and confusion persisted.

As my mother regained strength and her medication was significantly reduced, she did not regress, as is often typical in seniors, but instead progressed to the point where she required more stimulation than we could provide at home. Recognizing the substantial gap in programs and activities for seniors, I initiated the creation of Loving Hands.

Shortly after opening the Loving Hands center, we discovered a natural connection with the senior and disabilities demographic, creating meaningful experiences each day. My mother, became active, engaged, and stimulated, this environment restored her independence, confidence, tenacity, and determination, leading to remarkable improvements in both her mental and physical health.

Through this journey with dementia and my own self-discovery, my mother became an inspiring force in our lives, exemplifying the beauty of tenacity, determination, inclusion, and purpose. The Loving Hands center reintroduced her to friendships, exploration, and adventure while fostering incredible memories and a vibrant spirit. Most importantly, as a result of Loving Hands, my mother cultivated strong relationships with her five children, nineteen grandchildren, and twenty-three great-grandchildren. This remarkable transformation, achieved through inclusion, care, validation, acceptance, interaction, and love, turned a once-fragile woman into a vibrant senior.

Her journey motivates me to establish a structured, holistic program for community members emphasizing social interaction, meaningful activities, joy, and compassion.

Sadly, my mother passed away in 2020, but her legacy continues to inspire us all.