My sister and I hired Marilyn to help and guide us when our Mom could not take care of herself. Marilyn was a lifesaver in a very difficult time. She made a challenging situation a bit better. She is a very caring person and spent a lot of time with us, as well as our Mom. I am very thankful for her time and expertise, and I highly recommend her. read more

Marilyn is one of the most compassionate people I've met. It's clear in everything she does that she really cares for the well-being of her clients and will go out of her way to make sure their needs are met. She has such a gentle presence, but she will also advocate for her client fiercely when needed. She's on-call around the clock and responsive when issues come up suddenly. Marilyn also specializes in caring for LGBTQIA+ seniors. She's culturally competent around LGBTQIA+ language and issues and is an excellent ally. read more

I want to add critical context to this review; 1. I requested a "Monthly Check-In Call" with Marilyn Halpern from inception, and (3) months in a row she failed to contact me as promised. Following what in my view amounted to negligence, I stopped this critical communication altogether, which was very frustrating and completely isolating because I lost all trust that she could effectively do the job to speak for me should I be unable to do so myself. 2. To the great people who have responded to this candid review, I tell you the only way to stop a person like this is to leave substantive reviews. read more

Mariyln and Aspen Guardianship and Care Services were originally recommended to our family by an Elder Care lawyer. She is the answer to the overwhelming, "What are we going to do" question when you have a loved one needing help. We are eternally grateful we were connected with her outstanding knowledge, compassion, and tireless commitment to her clients and their families. She prioritizes clear communication and planning with the entire family and we were involved every step of the way. If you have an opportunity to hire her as an advocate for a loved one in a challenging situation, you are very fortunate. She is who I would choose time and again for myself, my children, or any of my relatives. These are not merely clients to her, she has a higher calling. Our mother was battling severe dementia with paranoia, losing the ability to care for herself, and would no longer allow us to help her. After interviewing a few candidates, Marilyn became the clear winner. She was the only person my mom trusted, would allow near her, and could compel her to leave her home for medical treatment. Marilyn has so much experience navigating both the healthcare system and the challenging behavior presentations of really tough cases, we were truly in expert hands. Originally, we used Marilyn and Aspen Care as a monthly check-in with my mom but when the emergencies or end of life days came, Marilyn rearranged everything to be by my mother's side. She knew just when it was time to call in hospice care, and the hospital bed, and get all the last outpourings of love to our mom. Marilyn and Aspen Care services are the reason we have peace when we think of my mother's passing. Marilyn spent the days leading up to her death by her side reading her letters from family, taking her through family photo albums of happy memories, and making sure she knew she was so loved as she passed. When Marilyn received the call my mom had died she went to her care facility and sat with her body until a pastor could come. With my permission, she prayed over her with me on the phone, and stayed by her side until the mortuary took her away. She truly walked her home. Marilyn also checked in to support our family after my mom's death, always with healing and hopeful words. Marilyn's contacts, reputation, and experience allowed her to be the best advocate for my mother in the medical and elder care systems. She was able to get my mother admitted to the hospital for treatment, even though they tried to discharge her quickly, and was able to delay discharge until she secured a wonderful care facility for her to be admitted to. This was a Herculean feat giving the non compliant nature of my mom's illness and the fact that when I had tried to have her placed on my own was rejected. Whenever we needed her, Marilyn was in constant communication and helped us navigate an impossible situation the best way possible. We would have been lost without her. read more

If you are navigating end-of-life care for a loved one, Marilyn Halpert is the person you want in your corner. I cannot say this strongly enough. My thoughtful, kind, smart mother had a form of dementia that led to shocking personality changes and meant she could be -- to put it gently -- quite challenging. Resistant to help, unpredictable, and over time increasingly mistrustful and even combative. I took months off work to help care for her and arrange long-term care, and my sister did the same, but we still felt completely out of our depth and despaired until we met Marilyn. We arranged for our Mom to meet a few possible care providers and she picked Marilyn herself. She felt Marilyn treated her with respect and as an equal, and we saw this too. Marilyn was able to see the warm, wonderful person that we knew as our Mom, and even on our Mom's most difficult days, Marilyn was patient, steady, and genuinely kind. Our Mom never lost trust in Marilyn, even as she lost trust in almost everyone else around her, including us, eventually. Marilyn and her team helped our Mom from the stage when she was living somewhat independently until the final day of her life, and made this difficult time much easier and better for her. Marilyn was also a godsend for us, as she helped us understand what was happening cognitively and what to realistically expect as the disease progressed. She guided us through decisions that felt impossible -- when to transition to hospice, how to manage behavioral symptoms with dignity, etc. In all our conversations, she was compassionate, clear, and just ... wise. Her many years of experience caring for people at the end of life have given her incredible communication skills. She was also very professional and well-organized when it came to coordinating and working with the rest of our Mom's care team. Marilyn made an extraordinarily painful chapter in our family's life feel navigable. She gave our mom dignity when it mattered most. I don't understand the other reviews here, because for our family, five stars doesn't feel like enough. We are deeply, deeply grateful. read more

I'm really confused by the other reviews. I was just curious, and decided to look at Aspen Care here on Yelp. Holy Cow... Aspen Care and Marylin Halpern have been such a rock for me and my aging mother. She helped guide and coordinate my mother's entry into assisted living. She has been such a source of wisdom and support with complex decisions like whether to move toward hospice, what Mom's mental health symptoms might be resulting from (urinary tract infection); she has given guidance and role modeling on interacting with assisted living staff, wound care, advanced directives, whether in need of skilled nursing, how to advocate effectively, the purpose and efficacy of the meds on Mom's 7-page meds list (she actually took the time no one else would take), how to safeguard my mother's wishes after her inevitable passing... the list goes on and on. She has been responsive and effective. She has been warm without being unprofessional. She has been professional without seeming indifferent. She has been knowledgeable without being condescending. She has been firm without being controlling. She is wise, contemplative, dedicated, enormously experienced, and most of all deeply, deeply ethical. Making a hospice decision is no casual undertaking. When my 91 year old mother needs something and I don't know how to do it, or especially when the potential consequences are over my head, Aspen Care is my first call. How could anything be more critical? During these most crucial moments in my relationship with my mother, Marilyn has been right there. Five stars, and my eternal gratitude. I don't know what else to say. read more

Aspen Care has truly compassionate staff who go out of their way to help during difficult times.

The owner of this business, Marilyn Halpern, has built a wall between local family who cares for our loved one and family out of state, to ensure that she gets paid. She has made sure that only she and her employee are able to see my stepmother. She created a situation where my 92yr old stepmom had to stay in the hospital alone during a period that included the Jewish High Holidays. She is beyond cruel and self serving. Using this company will not give you peace of mind. It will start a spiral of events that will be out of your control and your loved one and family will suffer greatly for the decision that you made to use this service. Stay away, do not let her leave your vulnerable family member on a ledge for her own gain. You will sit by helplessly, unable to protect the person that you care for so deeply, it's sad, it's crushing, your heart will ache every day. Feel free to look me up in Denver. I will be happy to speak with you about the specifics of my experience. Karen Nieberg read more

The company is owned by the person who is your guardian. So no control over her. Marilyn Halpern . She is condescendingly mean. Ruined my mother's last year of life. Should be out of business. read more