05/29/2026
She calls her mom every Sunday, and lately something has felt off.
Her mom mentions a new medication but can't remember what it's for. She says the doctor wants her to see a specialist, but she's not sure which one or when. Last week there was a fall, nothing serious, but enough to make her daughter's stomach drop when she heard about it three days later.
She lives in Ohio. Her mom lives in Fort Myers. And the distance between them feels like it grows a little every time they hang up the phone.
This is one of the most common situations I hear about, and it's one of the most difficult, because the love and the worry are enormous but the ability to actually do something feels impossibly limited.
As a nurse navigator, I become the local, clinical presence that out of state families desperately need. I get to know their loved one personally, stay in regular contact, attend appointments when needed, review medications, and make sure the family always has a clear and honest picture of what's actually going on. When something comes up, they don't have to piece together information from a brief phone call or wait until the next visit to find out if mom is really okay.
Having a nurse who already knows your loved one, already has the relationships with their providers, and is already embedded in their care means that when something does go wrong, you're not scrambling from three states away. You already have someone on the ground who knows exactly what to do.
If you're an adult child who lies awake worrying about a parent's health from a distance, or if you work with families in that situation, I'd love to connect! Send me a message or schedule a complimentary consultation at www.havenwell.life