About Us
A Few Words
How to Live
The Graceful Way
My work and calling is not rigid. I do not come in with a set protocol of what I do or how I do it as each of my clients are beautifully unique.
I offer a framework of ideas and services that I provide and then as we get to know each other and dive deeper into things you’d like to see done or tasks you’d like help with, we will work together to achieve them.
This could be as simple as wanting to prepare a meal to host your family or helping you do the laundry one day, to something larger like taking treasured items from your past to create a legacy project to pass down to your family members.
What I do, and what we do together will evolve, not only weekly but daily.
My role is to offer care, support and companionship in the present moment. To provide you and your family peace of mind so you can continue to live a fulfilling and enriching life in your own way.
Life is all about balance and we can’t do it all alone. It truly takes a village through all phases and stages of our lives and we need others in our lives to thrive. Independence and continuing to live at home as age or illness progresses can mean so much more when it is found in safe and nourishing ways. It should never be done at the expense of safety or happiness.
With Love and Care,
Caitlin Kucsan
Director of The Graceful Way
Why Choose Us
No two days are the same here
Certified Care
We are certified by the Care Doula School of Accompanying the Dying. To learn more about their program, click below.
Great Care
Our caretaker, Caitlin, will be attentive and present to your evolving needs and care.
Safety
We provide the protocols and tools to ensure a safe environment for you and your loved ones.
Experience
Caitlin brings a wealth of experience and information to assess problems and opportunities.
Activities
Different daily activities to provide a high quality of life, based on each individual's needs and accessability.
Great Care
About Caitlin
“How can I serve you? How can I take all that is me and be of benefit to you?”
Growing up, I was the child who found herself at times taken by big emotions, with no language at the time to express what it was I was feeling. This often left a wake of turbulence and misunderstandings behind me. I often found myself seeking comfort in my own company or the company of animals. I had a deep love of four legged creatures, finding solace in their snuggles and in their quiet companionship. They didn’t judge, they didn’t question, they didn’t try to fix. They were just there with me. Their presence, a warm embrace for all that I was feeling.
This love of animals would carry me into my college years, choosing to study in Animal Sciences focusing on Behavior and Enrichment. I went on to create a pet care company called Pugs & Kisses Pet Care that filled the decade of my twenties and into my thirties. With a team of roughly 20 pet sitters, I found such joy in caring for these creatures when their owners couldn’t be there with them, and the comradery among fellow animal lovers. The lessons I learned during this decade of my life, through the animals, the business, the clients, and the friendships, were innumerable.
In 2019, I was feeling called to release this part of my life and turn my sights to something new. As 2020 came, I was set to close my business and sell my home, and I had big dreams of becoming a personal chef after partaking in an apprenticeship under a wonderful home chef the year prior. But in early 2020, my one pug was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor. I had no idea that this, and her subsequent death would lead me into a deep, enriching and at times, downright torturous discovery of myself and this life. The grief that I allowed myself to feel in these coming years would come to be one of my greatest teachers, and one of the biggest blessings of my life to this date.
I had no idea up until that time that I was just floating through my life; taking everything and everyone for granted. It was through a love and hate kind of dance with my grief that I was able to begin my journey home to my Self, to Life.
I would spend the next year of my life going back to school to become a Wellness Coach, and the following two years of my life throwing myself into a creative pursuit that came upon me by surprise; upcycling old vintage silverware into artwork and selling it at markets throughout Central Florida, and from there, shipping it to boutiques across the country for others to sell in their stores. I pursued this with vigor, even as I made my move here to Savannah in August of 2023. But in October of this past year, I again felt the call that it was time for something new. What that was, I was not yet sure, but I was being asked to pause.
Grief would again come to visit me in December of 2023, as I drove home to Pennsylvania to be with my family as we prepared to say our goodbyes to my maternal grandmother after a long battle with Congestive Heart Failure among many other physical difficulties.
My grandmother was one of my closest confidants and her departure and the deep sadness I feel continues to wash over me. But as death came to visit again, I was reminded once more how beautiful this life is. And it was only through facing it yet again that I have been able to understand this even more deeply; to hold my people even tighter, to love them even deeper, to love my life with great ferocity and all that I get to experience each day.
If we stay battling with grief too long, we can become lost; completely tossed about in a stormy sea. But to surrender to it, allowing it to wash over us is to come to shore holding wisdom, holding such a reverence for Life. Allowing us to find gratitude for Life and for those sharing it with us.
I’ve spent most of my life residing in Pennsylvania where I grew up, but after Gemma’s passing and the closing of Pugs & Kisses, I uprooted myself and moved to Florida for a time to give me a little change of scenery and pace. Many times in those three years I would drive to and from PA to visit my family, see my sister get married, be there as my father retired and spend holidays. It was on those drives that I would stop here in the beautiful city of Savannah as one of my resting points to break up the drive. And it was on those trips that I fell in love with this city; it’s gorgeous architecture among the oaks, how walkable it is, how kind the people are, how good the food is. And catching a sunrise at Tybee beach is the cherry on top. When I knew it was time to spread my wings again, I knew I wanted it to be in Savannah.
Today, I currently spend my time with my faithful and absolutely wonderful little senior pug, Mojo. He has been my trusted companion for almost 15 years and has traveled the country with me, visiting friends, family and exploring. I spend my free time on walks in nature, reading or cooking up delicious new recipes. I have a deep love of sunrises and sunsets, witnessing that beautiful liminal space in each of my days. And I just love living here in Savannah, eating my way around the city, meeting new people, and finding all that this gorgeous city has to offer.
As I look back on not only my personal experiences, but my professional achievements and my passions, the common thread that has woven all parts of my life together is the thread of nurturing, of caring for others. It is something that runs deep within my veins and makes this life worth living for me.
And while it’s always been there; cooking for friends and family, caring for my beloved pets and the pets of others, learning how to listen to understand, and to be present with all that life presents to me, it is only recently that it has come to me, that all of these passions beautifully pull together in a way that I can be of benefit to others.
“How can I serve?” leaves my lips every morning when I wake up. “Who can I serve?”
If you have felt any resonance at all with my story, it would truly be my honor to know, “How can I serve you? How can I take all that is me and be of benefit to you?”
Take a moment to review the list of services available on the next page. When you are ready to discuss a plan, let’s sit down together and see what we can come up with.