Meet the Owner
Marge has worked professionally in the education and health care field for over 35 years and has specialized in meeting the unique needs of the young and old at heart. She holds numerous certifications in health, mental health and disability as well as extensive courses/workshops in adult education, geriatrics, end of life care, and most recently, motivational interviewing therapeutic techniques.
Marge has a deep rooted commitment, and desire to help others which has magnified her passion to work with aging adults. During her 15 year dedication to Lifetime Care, Home Care and Hospice, Marge had the honor of providing supportive services to aging adults and their families. As a home care and hospice Social Worker, she traveled to various in-home and community based facilities (nursing homes, assisted living, and hospitals) throughout Monroe County providing end of life support to seniors and their families. Marge was also trained as a Care Transitions Coach where she had the challenge and privilege of being part of a very successful evidenced based short-term model program that encouraged patient engagement and self-management skills, preventing further re-hospitalization stays for same reoccurring illness.
She resides at home in Churchville, NY with her husband Steve, 2 Golden Retrievers (Murphy and Lucy) and 2 cats (Sargent Pepper and Nella). Marge enjoys spending time with family and friends helping to “lighten their load” and find balance within a very busy life style.
Marge Brew holds a Licensed Master Social Work degree from University at Buffalo as well as a minor in Psychology from SUNY Brockport.
Aging Adult
Errands and Extras for Elders, LLC was inspired by my mom’s (MaryAnn) caregiving needs and her admirable persistence to live a socially filled, enjoyable life regardless of her everyday challenges, some which we may never have known about if we hadn’t been caring for her.
Mom always had a long list of things to do, but there were always obstacles in her way. She couldn’t run errands because of her mobility issues. She couldn’t meal prep because she’d run out of energy. She couldn’t stay on top of her bills because she became frustrated and overwhelmed. And, of course, the COVID pandemic contributed to her isolation and loneliness.
In spite of her age and declining health, my Mom loved to socialize. She engaged in scheduled activities at her apartment complex when able. She loved going out for a manicure or getting her eye brows tweezed. She embraced going to her favorite restaurants. She especially loved going to Church on Sundays and then to the International Pancake House afterwards. When she was unable to physically go to restaurants, we quite often brought her favorite meals to her.
As my Mom continued to age, her priorities changed, and she seemed to embrace the little things (extras) in life as a heartwarming addition to her day. Time spent playing cards with her family became important and routine. She cherished week-day surprise visits with a coffee and jelly donut (compliments to sibling Darlene). Mom’s faith was always a priority but it became much deeper, more dependable, and prayerful (compliments to sibling Deb). Mom eagerly awaited my evening phone call to replay her day for me, share the family news and then reminisce about the good ole days.
Caregiver’s Challenge
As caregivers, it soon became apparent that balancing errands and providing the extras were competing with limited time and resources.
We also realized that we needed extra assistance to be able to provide the quality of care and social activities my mom deserved while continuing to find balance between our demanding work schedules, and home responsibilities.
Sharing care responsibilities were, at times, exhausting for the family. There were times of anxiety, frustration, and confusion dealing with multiple medical health care systems, community resources, health insurance providers, personal safety concerns, pain management, and nutrition. At times, while living an hour away, I had a desperate need to “check-in” on her when she did not answer the phone, thus having to make the 2 plus hour round trip for peace of mind.
But the biggest challenge was living a duel role, a daughter who wanted to spend quality time with her mother without having to spend my entire visit as a caregiver doing errands.
