Marcy Baskin
Marcy Baskin’s story is a poignant example of grief as a life changing experience. Marcy’s parents, both in their seventies and in poor health, moved to California to be near their children. Marcy was stunned when they arrived, over-medicated and under-attended by their respective physicians.
The jigsaw puzzle of obtaining medical records, finding providers, going to medical appointments, supervising caregivers, eventually finding appropriate placement for Mom, who had Alzheimer’s, all became a full time job for Mary, leaving little time for taking care of herself, her career, health and her relationships.
Marcy’s takeaway from this experience was that being the decision maker for a loved one was a rugged task. If only she had had another pair of eyes and ears to help. Despite the unwavering support and love offered by her husband, her ongoing grief was huge and relentless.
A fierce advocate for her mother, she was drawn to enrolling at Sonoma State University in their health navigation and advocacy program.
Today, Marcy has a private practice in eldercare management and family coaching, helping those who are in an all too familiar situation, as she was. She is on the faculty at SSU teaching the very program that was life changing for her.