Daphne A. Care Companion in Chicago, IL 60659

I am at an age where the important people from the early part of my life are now in their sunset years. I find that my appreciation for babies is easily transferred to these tender but experienced souls. I work at my computer all day and wonder sometimes who might be like me, living in a house by him/herself, spending hours in relative silence alone yet valued by others. I enjoy long conversations and can sense my company's preferences for talkig or listening. If less involvement is preferred, I could work on my computer and get up to help my host(s) to the bathroom, to make them a meal, or to share a joke or a little hug before getting back to my easy-paced (and modestly paid) solitary work. I would love to be called upon to read to someone if they would like that.

I also feel that my experience as the assistant to Larry Gorski (now deceased) is crucial to forming my sense of how to care for a person with special needs.  He was a quadriplegic with some use of his hands -- a brilliant man who worked with Attorney General Neil Hartigan and Senator Paul Simon as a publicist and campaign manager.  He was also an advocate for persons with disabilities, and I helped him do research on voting poll accessibility.  He was instrumental in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  I was his driver, proofreader, wheelchair assistant and office assistant for more than a year.

While in graduate school, I reported from Capitol Hill and lived in the Washington, DC, area with a man who was 84 when I moved in. As the former managing editor of the Washington Daily News, he was a fascinating host and roommate, and I naturally wanted to be there for him as a friend and caregiver.

His son is now retired from the Social Security Administration and can provide a good reference for me.