Michele’s life has always been one of routine. On a typical day, she would wake up before 6am, have coffee and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air in the kitchen, leave for work at 7:30am, and arrive at her office by 8am. Michele is a hospital social worker, handling “large case loads” for an underserved community of uninsured patients, homeless seniors, drug addicts, and psychiatric patients. “You hit the hospital and it’s stressful,” she says. “The population that I serve, it’s very needy.” 

Outside of her demanding professional life, Michele would visit her mother, who suffers from dementia, on Mondays and Wednesdays, go to church with her husband and relative on Saturdays, and set aside Sundays for relaxation and cooking. “I really try not to do anything on Sundays. I like that to be my peaceful day,” she says. “I like to cook. I love to be in a kitchen.” 

However, with increasing signs of cognitive deterioration, Michele is prepared to transition to a less stressful lifestyle. Making plans for herself and her husband Alan has been a complicated process. “Do we downsize and go into a condominium? Do we downsize and go into a retirement community where we can get the services?” she says. “That's why I said we're at this crossroad… That's the biggest challenge for me, I must say.” 

Whatever their decision, Michele is content with her life. “[Alan and I] had a good life together, and a respectful life. We like each other and we are respectful,” she reflects. “We have a respectful household. We've certainly raised our children in that way… It's a peaceful house. It's a nice home.”