Althea Halchuck, EJD, CT, BCPA

Do you need help resolving disputes among family members and deciding what is best for your dying loved one?  

Do you disagree with medical providers on the care and treatment options for your loved one?  

Do you feel helpless in the face of the pending death of your parent, spouse, or  loved one?       

Do you feel fear, uncertainty, doubt, or guilt about your dying loved one, whether they are close-by or a continent away?  

Are you exhausted trying to do the best you can but without having the support you need? 

I specialize in giving people a voice in planning the last stages of their life or that of their loved one. I want you to rest easy knowing that all of the end-of-life choices are in place and will be honored, giving you and your family peace of mind.  My mission is maintaining your loved one's  dignity in their final days.   

I will try to find estranged relatives for a final good-bye.  I will research options for the best hospice to fit your needs.   I will organize precious mementos and help to donate or gift their dearest possessions.  I will help create a meaningful legacy to share or leave to loved ones.  

For over 20 years, I have been advocating for the vulnerable and the dying.  Most recently, I became a Board Certified Patient Advocate.

I  mediated elder disputes for the LA County Dept of Consumer Affairs, helping seniors challenge bill collectors and negotiate fair settlements. 

As a Long-term Care Ombudsman, I advocated for and educated seniors.  I mediated disputes between the residents and administrators or fellow residents.  I helped them draft advance care directives and final wishes.    

As a hospice volunteer, I sat at the bedside of many dying people.  In addition to supporting their families, I helped tie up their final loose ends so they could pass in peace.  

I have training and experience in bioethics disputes and sat on a committee that made recommendations for treatment of the "unbefriended" solos in their final days.  

I provided Advance Directive tools so that a couple planned a memorial months before the husband's untimely death. The wife said the presentation gave them the wisdom and incentive to talk about their final wishes...

I located the estranged adult children of a hospice patient and reconnected them in the hours before his death. They had not spoken for more than 20 years...

I organized a hospice patient's books, recipe collection, and a life-time of memorabilia for donation to a library.  This life-long collector had much to give...

I orchestrated donating a hospice patient's prized player piano to a local theater so that she could die in peace a day later.  She had purchased the piano 50 years before with her sisters and could not rest until it went to a good home...

I cut through paperwork and red tape to help a deceased Vet's family inter him at his final resting place , a National Cemetery...

I helped a young hospice patient get handicap access to her favorite juice shop.  Working with the mall and shop owners, along with their attorneys, they changed the flow pattern and created more handicap parking and a much easier access for her wheel chair and for other disabled patrons.