Towanda!
Why Towanda?
People sometimes ask about the name. It's a fair question — it's not the kind of name you expect to see next to "senior living advisory services."
Here's the truth: in twenty-five-plus years of this work, I've learned that you get more from the older adults you serve than you ever give them. This name, and this business, exists because of what they taught me. So before I tell you what we do, I want to tell you who taught me to do it.
Wanda — the importance of planning ahead
Wanda was a single woman with no kids. She knew, in the way that clear-eyed people know these things, that she needed a plan for her own future — that no one was coming to make it for her. Even so, care found her sooner than she expected. Wanda taught me that planning isn't something you do "eventually." It's something you do while you still get to be the one doing it.
Mac and Bob — the importance of belonging
Mac and Bob taught me that the floor plan and the price sheet are the easy part. What's hard — and what actually matters — is finding a place where you feel welcomed. Loved, even. A community is only as good as how it makes you feel walking through the door on an ordinary Tuesday. Inclusivity isn't a brochure word. It's the whole ballgame.
Jill — the importance of joy, especially now
Jill got her first tattoo the week she moved into assisted living. A dragonfly — for new beginnings. She was grappling with memory loss at the time, and she chose that moment to mark a fresh start on her own skin. Jill taught me that joy doesn't end when the chapter changes. It just starts looking different. Our job is to help people find communities where that joy still has somewhere to land.
Richard — the importance of a new support system
Richard's wife passed away suddenly, and in the aftermath, he had to learn something many of us hope we never have to: how to rebuild a support system from nothing, later in life. He taught me that community isn't a nice-to-have when you're grieving — it's the thing that gets you through.
Christine — the importance of being in charge
And then there's my mum, Christine. She's the one who reminded me — that this is always, at the end of the day, your decision. Your health, your care, your future. Being empowered to be true to yourself, on your own terms, through every stage of life.
When she celebrated doing something hard, stepping out of her comfort zone or making that tough decision she said “Towanda!”
What this means for you
I started this company because people deserve someone in their corner who has sat with Wanda's foresight, Mac and Bob's need to belong, Jill's optimism, Richard's grief, and my mum's fierce independence — and who will pay attention to who you are and what matters most to you - while drawing on lessons learned from a career in this field.
It’s often said that the hardest part about moving to a community is this part - the decision.
I can't make the decision easy. But I can make it easier and more informed. That's what I do. And it's a privilege every time.
