Meet Charles Puchta, MBA, CSA

Charles Puchta (pronounced Puck-ta), a Certified Senior Advisor, is an award-winning author, authority, consultant and speaker. His expertise is on aging, caregiving, elder abuse and health education. Based on years of supporting his aging parents and being frustrated with the system and the lack of support his family received, he decided it was time to make a difference and pursue a new career. Puchta is founder and president of Aging America Resources and director of the Center for Aging with Dignity at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing. 

     

 

  

Aging America Resources

Puchta founded Aging America Resources in 2001. AAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to equipping, empowering and encouraging caregivers. We provide programs, resources, workshops and support to help family, pastoral and professional caregivers develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to make a difference in the lives of the aging and chronically ill. embrace caregiving is a service mark of AAR and is the brand under which we offer our products and services. 

Our website is www.Caregiving.CC. 




Center for Aging with Dignity

In 2005, Puchta was appointed director of the Center for Aging with Dignity (CFAWD) at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing. The CFAWD is devoted to keeping people "SAFE After 60" by advocating for, advancing and developing best-practices programs on the safety and mistreatment of older adults. Recognizing that safety risks increase with age, we focus on enhancing professional responsibility and empowering older adults to maximize their independence.

Our website is www.SAFEafter60.CC. 

My Journey

One day, it became apparent that my parents were noticeably aging. They were not moving around as quickly. Everyday tasks became increasingly harder, and mom and dad were clearly struggling with daily living activities. 
That day, my sister and I turned to each other with blank stares asking, "What do we do?" We found countless resources on every subject in the book, but there was not a "roadmap" of any kind to help us navigate the many daunting issues we were about to face.

When it came time to take a more active role in supporting my parents' decisions or making decisions on their behalf, I often lacked the knowledge, understanding and/or confidence about what to do. A lot of the information we found tended to be too technical or it assumed we knew much more than we did. In addition, it was difficult to find trustworthy information amid all the erroneous, misleading and profit-driven stuff on the Internet. 

All too often we tried to make decisions without sufficient understanding of the issues and options. Also, we regularly tried to determine what we thought would be best without engaging my parents and taking the time to discover their concerns and preferences. As I reflect back, we did some things well; however, we also failed to take the most appropriate action in several cases. Some of our mistakes were costly, both financially and emotionally. With better guidance, most of our frustrations could have been avoided.

My father died from pneumonia at the age of 79 in March of 1997 and had struggled with Leukemia for years. My mother died in November of 2001 at the age of 70. She had a number of health complications including dementia and rheumatoid arthritis. Having talked with thousands of people, many of whom have shared their successes, struggles, and frustrations, I find that most of the challenges people confront are similar. I remain up-to-date on the issues through my work, in discussions with older adults and those facing chronic and life-threatening illnesses. I also regularly collaborate with family, professional and pastoral caregivers, and immerse myself in both professional journals and the popular press.

My hope is to help make a difference in the lives of the both care receivers and caregivers through collaboration, consultation, and my writing and workshops.  

Puchta lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his three daughters. He has an undergraduate degree in Communications from Bradley University (Peoria, IL) and an MBA from Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH). In addition to pursing an advanced degree in Health Education and Promotion, he is an adjunct instruction at the University of Cincinnati teaching Aging Program Development.    

Puchta family photo from the mid-'80s
Back row: Charles and his dad (Charlie)
Front row: His sister (Polly) and mom (Jean)


Picture below - Puchta and his daughter (June 2011)

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