When Family Become Friends

On a crisp fall day, Ronna Katz and Tracy Barna sat on the couch in the living room, talking, laughing, reminiscing. Ronna became a member of the Caring House family when her husband Robert stayed with us in 2020. She and Robert spent time connecting with loved ones, each other and our team, and they even celebrated Robert’s birthday with us.

During that time, Ronna and Tracy – one of our caregivers – developed a special bond that has continued into 2021 and beyond. In addition to visiting at Caring House, the two talk often, have lunch dates, and Tracy did something extra special for the first anniversary of Robert’s passing.

“Robert passed away a year ago, Christmas evening,” Tracy shared. “He had a very specific breakfast every morning, and in my goodbye note to him, I promised to have ‘his breakfast’ every Christmas morning in his honor. So, this past Christmas, I invited Ronna to the house and made Robert’s breakfast for us to enjoy. I also created a special centerpiece for the table with an enlarged version of my goodbye note in a frame, along with Robert’s photo and his Resident Story, his memory stone, and of course, his favorite sparkling water, pistachio nuts and TV remote!”