It is not often that a person can be described as totally indispensable, but in light of what Carole accomplished for our family, it is an understatement. Carole deftly managed two elderly parents with complex health profiles, a blended family with assorted personalities, multiple homecare worker situations, and eventually, hospice/end of life care. We lost both parents in a year's time - but Carole's expertise in eldercare made their last transition a seamless one for them as well as for all of us in the family. She worked the complexities of doctors' appointments, chemotherapy , home healthcare, assistive technology, and medication management into a seamless schedule wherein all needs were met. We were comforted to know that Carole was there to make sure medications were taken correctly and on time, appointments were attended (she ofttimes was the person taking them), the household needs were managed efficiently (food, laundry, etc.), and personal care and keeping was of the highest standard. But most important, she endeared herself not only to her immediate clients, but to the entire family - with a brilliant combination of intelligence, patience, wit, and organization, ensconced in a loving and approachable demeanor. It takes a saintly person to accomplish what Carole does so easily - her work is more a vocation than a profession. My father and his wife are laid to rest, and we their children are at peace because we know their final months, days, hours, and moments were as comfortably pleasant as possible, all because of Carole's care.

ElderCare Transitions of Pittsburgh and Carole have been such a gift to my clients! As a busy Estate Attorney I often have clients who need help with navigating the vast array of choices when an individual and their family need to transition them from complete independence to living with some type of assistance or safety net. Carole works efficiently and professionally with my clients to understand their available resources and helps them pick the best options for them. Whether Carole is navigating a facility placement or helping long-term to make sure that a loved one who has no family in town is being properly cared for, she is above all else kind.

We live out of town and Carole fills our shoes by providing excellent oversight and care. She is truly his advocate and does a better job than we could do, due to her clinical background! Additionally, Carole has built a wonderful bond with our father which is heartwarming to observe.

Carole Shepard excels in great communication with all of our family. Her sensitivity to both my mother and father dealing with difficult issues has made the situation much easier. Carole is a true caring professional who exhibits high integrity and honesty. I would highly recommend her services

Since I live out of state, the search for the right person to manage our parents care was a high priority.

In my opinion, Carole Shepard is the best Geriatric Care Manager in the Pittsburgh area!

Carole Shepard provides "The Total Package" of knowledge, experience, coordination of details and scheduling. Plus, even when we would all like to cry because this aging process can be very emotional, she handles every step with true compassion and love. Her fee structure is easy to understand and extremely reasonably priced.

Carole Shepard is simply amazing! She has cared for our parents as if they were her own. She never hesitates to go the extra mile to insure the best care in an extremely compassionate manner. It is without hesitation that we recommend the services of Carole Shepard.

Carole is a gem. Carole is both a friend and a fierce advocate for my father who has dementia. Even if I was living in the area, I would want Carole involved as I don't have the expertise necessary. She knows what good care is and works hard to ensure my dad gets that care. I live out of town and am able to rest easy knowing that Carole is looking over him.

My brother and I used the services of Carole Shepard and Eldercare Transitions earlier this year. Our mother had been living on her own and we were noticing that she wasn't as able to take care of herself as she had been in the past. Carole did a very thorough evaluation in order to determine whether assistance at home was adequate or whether assisted living care was necessary. Following her assessment, we as a collective group decided that assisted-living was the correct path.

Carole then comprised a spreadsheet of the reputable choices in the area with costs, contact names and numbers, location, etc. We met to have her present her findings and then began visiting the various facilities. Once we had narrowed down the list, we met several more times until we were able to find the right spot for Mom. Carole was very knowledgeable and helped immensely in making a hard decision much easier. We would recommend Eldercare Transitions to anyone else who is facing this tough decision.

I highly recommend Elder Care Transitions. Carole Shepard handled every aspect of my mother-in-law's care from home health care to assisted living placement to nursing home care. My mother-in-law, Marie, is 101 years old and has been happy with each choice. Carole's care and expertise are unsurpassed."

I am writing this testimonial in support of the work done by Carole Shepard. Carole supports older individuals and their families who are transitioning to a "new normal " in their lives. But really it is so much more than that. Carole is able to understand the point of view of the elderly and their families and to help them work together on very difficult and heart wrenching problems that threaten to tear a family, even a loving family, apart. She is able to verbalize the issues in a very straightforward way and then to bring perspectives to the table that condense large and complex issues into manageable "bites." Then the family is able to deal with the problems "one bite at a time. " I will give several examples from our own history with Carole from January 2012 through February 2014, though it seems like such a short time for someone who made such a profound impact on our family. Because of Carole, my family was able to make optimal decisions with my stepdad for my mother's care and then for his own care.

If you care to read it, here is our story with Carole.

I first met Carole in January of 2012 after my brothers and I had had an "intervention" with my stepdad. My mother married my stepdad when they were in their 60's, long after the death of my father and long after her children were out of the house. My mother had been suffering with Alzheimer's Dementia for several years at that point, and was continuing to get worse. From Jan 2010 to Jan 2011, we had private nursing paid for by Long Term Care Insurance that helped my mum three days a week. In January 2011, we began to have the private duty nurse come 5 days per week. At the end of 2011, my stepdad became the victim of elder fraud that threatened to liquidate all of their assets including their home. My mother was falling in the home, and my stepdad wasn't calling her children, and she continued to decline. My stepdad was having health problems of his own, in part due to the stress of an 84 year old taking care of an 84 year old in their home. He refused for them to come and live with any of us. The intervention was to alert my stepdad that we needed to do something to protect their assets, and to let him know that if he didn't agree for my mother to go into a closed Memory Unit, or to move in with one of us, then her children would fight for my mother's custody. Let us be clear that my stepdad loved my mother so very much, and was only trying to take care of her the best that he knew. And we loved our stepdad for how much he loved and took care of our mother. We were all hurting, but neither of them were living their optimal life at this point.

I do not know how she did it or does it, but Carole was able to convince my stepdad that he was doing the job of 3 shifts of caregivers, and that we were all concerned about both of them out of love, and not out of any ulterior motives. She was essential in helping my stepdad see the problems without demeaning him in any way and with uplifting him and providing him with the dignity to help us make the decisions that were needed.

My mother did go into the Memory Unit, and she died 2 months later, 2 weeks after going into Hospice Care. Carole was able to help my stepdad to understand that allowing my mother to die with dignity was a present that he was giving to her, and that to put her through more medical care would only be painful for her mentally and physically. This was very emotionally painful for my stepdad who had buried his first wife after a very prolonged hospital stay. Carole went so far as to explain to my stepdad's family that he was not "killing" my mother, but putting her into Hospice Care out of love. Carole once again did an amazing job.

We needed Carole in our lives again whenever my stepdad became too medically ill to care for himself at home in September of 2013, and when unbelievably, the elder fraud reached epic proportions. Carole was once again essential in helping my stepdad transition into an Assisted Living Environment and to sell his home. These were decisions for which he and his "stepchildren" had arrived at an impasse. When my stepdad was in the Assisted Living Environment, his stepchildren were working full time, and Carole visited him at least weekly and through their Scrabble games was able to gain his trust and confidence. And then at the end of his life, when I was desperately trying to get to his bedside, Carole stayed with my stepdad until I got there some 12 hours after I had begun my journey that day. She was the lifeline between the doctor at the hospital and my trying to make decisions in an airport. My stepdad died about 13 hours after my arrival with his "stepchildren" at his bedside.

Your guidance and knowledge have been immeasurably important to our family during these past months. We felt so relieved when our dad was released from the hospital and on-the-road to recovery. Little did we know that there was a twisted road full of potholes in front of us! Selecting, managing and providing the best care for dad would not have occurred without YOU on our team.

We were so grateful for your expertise when we transitioned dad from Jefferson Hospital to rehabilitation at Marian Manor. We needed your wealth of experience to assure he was receiving the proper medications and therapies. On many occasions, you assisted us when there was a lack of communication between the medical team at Jefferson Hospital and the staff at Marian Manor. You were also instrumental in getting Chester an appetite stimulant which made a remarkable change in his weight gain and recovery. You were our expert eyes and ears as dad made gradual improvement and dealt with multiple health issues. Next, we were challenged to find dad an assisted-living home and faced another deadline transition for him. Your evaluation of dad's physical and mental needs, coupled with your knowledge of the local, assisted-living facilities was so very helpful. You narrowed the field of choices and added prospective to our long list of pros and cons of each place we visited.

We are so appreciative of the continual love and concern you have offered to us! Little did we know that with each move, our dad would have a new set of doctors serving that facility! This created so much anxiety that you always managed and oversaw. What a health care nightmare for a loving family with professional backgrounds in business and education. How can we ever thank you for the comforting blanket you have provided us!

Obviously, we knew Joe was not accepting the fact my mother needed better care in a 24 hour a day facility. You were able to get Joe to accept this fact without diminishing his love and respect for my mother - to this we are grateful. It lifted a tremendous burden from my sister, my brother and myself.