I learned to walk by pulling myself up on my grandfather's crutches. I didn't know it then, but that was my first lesson in what care looks like.

As I grew, I watched my grandparents' health change and decline. I saw how much it affected them no longer being able to do the things they once had- to slow down- to admit the need for and accept assistance. Those years planted something in me that never left.

Then, in my thirties, I was diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly I was the one who needed care, depending on others for things I'd always done myself. I came through it knowing exactly what I was meant to do, and I became an occupational therapist.

For more than 20 years, I've worked in geriatrics and dementia care, helping older adults stay safe, independent, and themselves at home, and helping their families find their footing.

But my caregiving doesn't end when my shift does. My husband and my grandson both live with heart conditions. I know the appointment calendars, the medication lists, the late-night worry, and the prayers whispered in waiting rooms. I don't know this from a textbook. I know it from my own life.

That's why I created Graceful Living Collective. I want you to have practical tools from someone who knows the clinical side, encouragement from someone who has lived it, and the reminder that God does not leave us to carry any of this alone.

The Faith That Holds It Together

Graceful Living Collective was not built as a business strategy. It was built as a response to a calling I could not ignore.

I am a woman of devout Christian faith, and that faith is the foundation from which I show up for every family that finds this place. Not as a barrier — this space is for every caregiver and family who needs it — but as the posture underneath everything. The belief that people matter. That no one should navigate the hardest seasons of their life alone. That grace is not just a word. That my experiences and pain have served a purpose- to help others like you.

I am also a homeschooling grandmother — and the daily joy of that role reminds me why all of this matters. We are raising the next generation inside the same households where we are caring for the last one. That is work- and maybe a divine appointment.

Why This Exists

When families are navigating aging, illness, and caregiving, having the right information at the right moment can change everything. Knowing what questions to ask-and having someone in your corner who understands-can make an overwhelming season feel more manageable.

Graceful Living Collective exists to help provide that. Practical tools. Compassionate guidance. Clinical expertise in plain language.

You don't have to figure this out by yourself. I'm so glad you're here.

Cathy Favaro, OTR/L

*Knowledge when you need it. Grace every step of the way.*


Cathleen Favaro, OTR/L
Licensed Occupational Therapist
Certified in Geriatrics | Dementia Care | Lymphedema
20+ Years Clinical Experience
Cancer Survivor · Spousal Caregiver · Homeschooling Grandmother · Woman of Faith
DAV Member Since Birth · Granddaughter of a WWII Veteran

"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." — Matthew 11:28