Harriet Kerr Swenson
05/16/1933-08/23/2019
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Our story began two generations ago, with the woman whose legacy is honored in our company name. Harriet Kerr Swenson, our founder's grandmother, was a minister's wife in the 60s and 70s, providing unique insights into families in need. Her journey from pastoral support to pursuing a master's in gerontology later in life, reflects her unwavering dedication to caring for the elderly, ill, and dying.
Harriet's published books, including "Visible and Vital-A Handbook for the Aging Congregation” and "Around the House-One Woman Shares How Millions Care," capture her wealth of wisdom and experience. “Around the House” is a book she wrote in an attempt to capture what the authentic experience is for a family caregiver.
Harriet Kerr Swenson's legacy inspires our founder and team. In continuing her vision, we prioritize a family-first and community-centered approach to caregiving. This commitment is our way of honoring her dedication to compassionate care and community support.
CONNECTING
"Where are you today? You who proclaim you care so much. The truth is, I cannot express exactly why I need you.
I know. It is all so new, this unfamiliar role of home caregiving None of us neophytes has any training; this kind of helping sounds so elementary, so childlike. Even the experts say it is learned behavior. Yes, we feel empathy now and then for those less fortunate, but when required on a regular basis to rearrange our time or to upset our budgets, we hold back. Yes, I know. Our families all have some of those head shakers and "walk-aways."
Do you remember the heartrending film about the devoted naturalist and a wary lone member of the wild animal species? The wanting to connect, the weighing of risk, the fear of getting involved lurking in the longing, as in Doris Lessing's famous story of the working girl innocently helping an elderly lady once, only to find herself drawn to years of commitment. If life has already provided us with prior relationships that felt like traps, we friends or relatives could be gun shy.
I watch an Alzheimer's caregiver on TV try to calmly explain what is missing from his own life. "It's not so much the routine," he says. "I can do that." And "it's more than a phone call. It's the knowing someone's loving presence is firmly nearby." That he is not alone.
Yes, yes."
-Harriet Kerr Swenson
[Around the House : One Woman Shares How Millions Care]
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