Meet Angela Washington — The Heart Behind Senior Care Tips
Hi there. I’m Angela, and if you’re reading this, chances are you’re caring for someone you love. Maybe it’s a parent whose memory isn’t what it used to be. Maybe it’s a spouse recovering from a fall. Maybe you’re a senior yourself, just looking for honest advice from someone who gets it.
I get it. I’ve been where you are.
My Story
I didn’t plan on becoming a caregiver. Nobody really does. In 2013, my mother, Vivian, was diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson’s disease. She was 68. I was 34, working full-time as a registered nurse at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC, raising two kids, and trying to keep my marriage together.
Within a year, I’d moved Mom into our guest bedroom. Within two years, I’d cut my hospital shifts to part-time. By 2016, I was her full-time caregiver. I bathed her, managed 11 different medications, drove her to specialists across three counties, and learned more about neurology than I ever did in nursing school.
Some days were beautiful — she’d laugh at something my son said, and I’d see a flash of the woman who raised me. Other days were brutal. I remember sitting in my parked car outside a Walgreens on Independence Boulevard, crying into a fast-food napkin because I didn’t know how much longer I could keep going.
Mom passed in January 2021. She was 76. I was 41. And I was lost.
Why I Started This Blog
After Mom died, I didn’t know what to do with all this knowledge sitting inside me. Eight years of caregiving teaches you things that no textbook covers. Like how to convince a stubborn 73-year-old to take her pills (hide them in applesauce — yes, really). Or how to get Medicare to actually cover the wheelchair ramp your father needs. Or how to forgive yourself on the days you lose your patience.
I started Senior Care Tips & Wellness Guide in late 2024 because I wanted every caregiver and every senior to have access to the practical, honest, no-nonsense information I wish I’d had. Not the clinical, jargon-filled stuff. The real stuff. The stuff your doctor doesn’t have time to explain and Google makes unnecessarily complicated.
My Credentials
- Registered Nurse (RN) — Licensed in North Carolina since 2005
- 8 years of hands-on family caregiving — Full-time care for my mother with Parkinson’s disease (2013–2021)
- Caregiver Support Group Facilitator — Founded and ran a weekly group at Grace AME Zion Church, Charlotte (2017–2023)
- Community Health Advocate — Trained over 200 family caregivers through workshops at Mecklenburg County Senior Centers
- Certified in Geriatric Care Management — National Academy of Certified Care Managers (NACCM)
What You’ll Find Here
Every article on this site comes from a real place. When I write about managing diabetes after 65, it’s because I watched my father-in-law, Earl, struggle with his blood sugar for a decade. When I write about fall prevention, it’s because my mother broke her hip in our kitchen in 2018, and I still remember the sound.
You’ll find articles about:
- Nutrition and healthy eating — Real meal ideas that work when appetite is low and budgets are tight
- Safe exercise routines — Chair exercises, water aerobics, gentle yoga that I’ve done alongside my clients
- Chronic condition management — Diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, Parkinson’s, dementia — from someone who’s lived it
- Mental health and cognitive wellness — Because loneliness kills more seniors than heart disease, and nobody talks about it enough
- Caregiver survival — Burnout prevention, respite care, Medicare navigation, and knowing when to ask for help
- Home safety and aging in place — The $200 modifications that can prevent a $50,000 hospital stay
My Promise to You
Everything I publish is:
- Honest — I’ll tell you what worked, what didn’t, and what I wish I’d done differently
- Practical — No vague advice. Specific products, real dollar amounts, actual steps you can take today
- Backed by evidence — I reference research from the National Institute on Aging, Mayo Clinic, Harvard Health, and other trusted institutions
- Written with love — Because I know how hard this is, and you deserve someone in your corner
Beyond the Blog
When I’m not writing, you’ll find me at the Mecklenburg County Senior Center leading my Thursday morning “Gentle Moves” exercise class, or at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee, answering reader emails. I live in Charlotte, NC with my husband David, our two teenagers, and a very opinionated tabby cat named Biscuit.
Let’s Connect
I read every single email and comment. If you have a question, a story to share, or you just need someone to tell you that you’re doing a good job — please reach out through our Contact page. I’m here.
Caregiving is one of the hardest things a person can do. But you don’t have to do it alone.
With love and solidarity,
Angela Washington, RN
Founder, Senior Care Tips & Wellness Guide