Care For Aunt Connie

Aunt Connie is a very special lady.

If asked, she will tell you that despite the last 15 years of losing those she loved the most in the world, she's had a pretty great life.

She loved her childhood, her parents, her siblings and when she immigrated from Italy it got even better. She built a family with her husband Joe, two incredible kids Laura and Joseph, ran a successful business - Corki's Corner, had neighbors and friends that felt like family, and is in decent health at the age of 84.

She's a very grateful, loving person with a heart condition and Alzheimer's.

Even with her recent challenges, she still has a wonderful attitude with a kind disposition.

Everyone loves Aunt Connie and today, she needs our help.

On December 31st, 2022, Aunt Connie lost her son Joe. He was her caregiver, her provider and the last member of her immediate family. Thank goodness, she still has 4 grandchildren all under the age of 22.

Leaving her NJ home and grandchildren Andrew, Ryan and Sarah after a diagnosis of Alzheimers was difficult, but bearable because she was moving to CA to live with Joe and grandson Quinn in beautiful Valencia CA. She even had a tangerine tree on the patio just like in Calabria, Italy.

Unfortunately, these memories are being robbed everyday by her Alzheimers/Dementia which is why Aunt Connie can't live alone. So, you may be thinking, why doesn't she sell her CA home and come here to NJ?

Because she is faced with an Irrevocable Trust which says she can not. The funds from the home she sold in NJ and reinvested into Joe's home in CA are inaccessible. She can live in the CA home but she can't live alone with her illness and would be abandoned there without any family. She cannot sell the home and use the proceeds for her own assisted living care.

After three months of my living there with her while putting Joe's affairs in order, the best option was to bring Aunt Connie home to be surrounded by love and support.

Abandoning Aunt Connie in CA was not an option. Her loving brother Joe and I have been working diligently to try and get Aunt Connie's money back to her. This has not been an easy task.

Today, we do see light at the end of the tunnel. However, Connie’s older sister Francesca, my mother and I (with the help of Mom's caregiver) have been caring for Aunt Connie for the past 5 months now and we just can't do it alone.

Many of you have asked how you could help....with a few months of pre-paid living funds and some money to cover the mounting attorney fees, she can move into The Residence Assisted Living, Family of Care in Park Ridge, NJ until her funds are possibly released or she gets on NJ Medicaid. This could be her forever home.

Please help Aunt Connie, in her final years, to go back where she spent the greatest times of her life, Park Ridge, NJ and where she's close enough to be visited by you, her family, grandchildren, friends and neighbors.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration and generosity,

Siblings Mimma, Francesca & Joe

and families