Between the autumns of 2012 and 2020, my parents ran "Tallwood House," a residential group home for Christian Scientists in Concord, N.H. After finishing up my job as a daily reporter for the Concord Monitor and moving to Massachusetts in May 2017, I commuted back to New Hampshire each week to work there as a caretaker. In between helping residents, cooking meals, folding laundry and feeding the chickens, I decided to take any chance I could to work on a documentary photography project there. This body of work took place over a year, and through it I’ve come to appreciate what it means to balance the practicalities of geriatric care for older bodies while also facilitating an atmosphere of spiritual growth. I think the biggest takeaway is that making someone at home – loving them, really – is about paying attention to the little things.
