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Join the Community
Reach out through our website or by phone. We verify your coverage and connect you with the right therapist.
Chronic illness
Living with pain, or a diagnosis you didn't expect.
Chronic illness is the most common companion of later life. Therapy can't change the diagnosis, but it can change what it costs you to live with it. Covered by Medicare. By phone or video.
Lily is Total Life's AI wellness coach, here for everyday support and answers. She is not a medical provider and does not replace therapy.
Medicare-covered
Covered by Medicare and most major plans
You're not alone
What chronic illness adjustment can feel like.
- A new diagnosis feels like a hit you can't recover from.
- You're tired of explaining your condition.
- Life shrunk after the diagnosis.
- Pain is making you a different person.
- You're managing the illness physically, but not emotionally.
- You haven't told friends or family how scared you are.
- Appointments fill the week. So does waiting.
- You grieve the life you had before, and feel guilty for grieving.
These are common experiences, not a diagnostic checklist. A licensed therapist can help you understand what you're feeling without rushing to label it.
Why this is different after 65
Why chronic illness asks more of you in later life.
Roughly 80% of adults 65+ live with at least one chronic condition, and most live with two or more. The physical management often gets attention, but the emotional cost is often invisible. Identity shifts, relationships change, and the simple act of being a patient becomes part of who you are. Therapy is one of the few places that asks how it's affecting you, not just how your numbers look.
80%
Of adults 65+ live with at least one chronic condition
Source: National Council on Aging
60%+
Of older adults with chronic illness report emotional impact
Source: CDC, 2023
Effective
Therapy is recommended as part of comprehensive chronic illness care
Source: American Psychological Association
How therapy helps
How therapy supports you with adjusting to chronic illness.
Adjustment, not just coping
There's a difference between coping with a condition and adjusting your life to include it. Therapy helps you do the adjusting work most doctors don't have time for.
Pain coping skills that complement medical care
Acceptance, distraction, pacing, and self-compassion are evidence-supported skills for living with chronic pain. Therapy is where you learn them, and practice.
Family conversations about what you need
Many older adults with chronic illness don't tell their families how hard it is. Therapy can help you have the conversations that have been waiting.
How It Works
Getting started is simple.
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Find Your Match
After a short conversation about your needs, we recommend an experienced counselor and schedule your first session.
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Start Your Journey
On the scheduled date, your therapist reaches out by phone or video, and you begin working through what matters to you.
Why Total Life
Total Life vs. in-person therapy
| Total Life | In-person | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Matched with a therapist within 24 hours | Often weeks on a waitlist |
| Where you meet | From home, by phone or video | Drive to an office |
| Specialization | Therapists who focus on adults 65+ | General practice, varies |
| Medicare | Covered by Medicare; most members pay $0 | May be out of network |
| Scheduling | Flexible times that fit your week | Limited office hours |
| Comfort | Talk from your own home | An unfamiliar waiting room |
All 50
States served
200+
Licensed providers
6+
Insurances accepted, plus Medicare
Meet Our Providers
Licensed therapists who specialize in older adults.
TA
Dr. Tanya Alonso
Licensed Psychologist
Licensed in your state, with a master's-level education or higher and specialized training in the mental health of older adults.
IR
Dr. Ian Rivera
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Licensed in your state, with a master's-level education or higher and specialized training in the mental health of older adults.
PV
Dr. Preeti Vidwans
Licensed Psychologist
Licensed in your state, with a master's-level education or higher and specialized training in the mental health of older adults.
Why Our Clients Choose Total Life
Total Life has served over 10,000 adults and led over 100,000 sessions.
92% of members stay with their assigned therapist.
Dr. Tim Calvin has been a God Send. He is a kind, gentle and humorous man.
Read Reynold’s full storyShow less
Dear Total Life. Thank you for your wonderful service of therapy for the elderly. I had been searching for some time for therapy services for the elderly. I kept running into roadblocks until I ran across Total Life on the internet.
I had been an MSW/LCSW for 54 years and a BSW for 11 years before that. Yes, I will be 87 a few days from now. I just fully retired on March 31, 2026. I found myself drifting in the middle of Lake Michigan for some months until I found Total Life and realized there was a group of therapists reaching out to Medicare patients.
I was really fortunate I had not found someone before Total Life. I have been working on Erikson’s last stage of life and addressing the new life situations that “old age” has brought knocking. I find this a more pleasant experience compared to earlier therapy addressing the traumas and problems of growing up, plus the stress of relationships, children, addiction, financial, education and work.
A giant “THUMBS UP” for Total Life and Tim (Dr. Calvin).
Reynold Wolter
Total Life member · Working with Dr. Tim Calvin · MSW/LCSW (retired, 54 years) · Age 87
What Members Experience
Progress, session by session.
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After three sessions
After three sessions a majority of clients have hope that their situation is improving.
6
After six sessions
After six sessions a majority of clients have reflected that actual change occurred.
Take the first step. We'll do the rest.
Covered by Medicare. Most members are matched with a therapist within 24 hours.
Common questions
Questions older adults ask about adjusting to chronic illness.
Will therapy help with the pain itself, or just how I feel about it?+
Both, in different ways. Therapy doesn't replace medical treatment, but the skills you learn (pacing, acceptance, attention training) can reduce the intensity of pain and the suffering that surrounds it. Many members say their pain feels different, even when the pain itself hasn't changed.
I have cancer, Parkinson's, COPD, or another serious condition. Can therapy help with that?+
Yes. Therapy is part of comprehensive care for many serious conditions. Total Life therapists are trained in the emotional impact of chronic and serious illness, and we coordinate with your medical team if you want us to.
How is therapy different from a support group?+
Support groups are wonderful when they fit, but they're not for everyone. Therapy is one-on-one with a licensed clinician, focused on you specifically. Some members do both.
My condition is progressive. Is therapy worth it?+
Yes. The therapy work is about how you live the time you have, not about reversing the illness. Many members say therapy is the thing that made them feel like themselves again, even as the condition continued.
Will my therapist coordinate with my doctor?+
With your consent, yes. Total Life therapists are happy to coordinate with primary care, specialists, and other clinicians on your team. You control what's shared.
Can I do sessions on bad-pain days from bed?+
Yes. Sessions happen by phone or video, from wherever you are. Many members do sessions from bed, the couch, or a chair where their body feels supported.
Is it normal to grieve the health I used to have?+
Yes, and it's a part of chronic illness adjustment that often goes unnamed. Grieving a body that used to work differently is a real grief. Therapy is a place to let it be real.
What if I'm just tired of all the appointments?+
That feeling is common, and it has a name: medical fatigue. A therapy session that comes to you, by phone or video, is one less appointment to drive to. And it's the appointment where the question is how you are, not how your numbers are.
Is therapy for chronic illness covered by Medicare?+
Yes. Medicare covers behavioral health sessions with a licensed clinician as a Part B benefit, including therapy for the emotional impact of chronic illness. Original Medicare covers 80%, and most members with supplemental insurance pay $0.
Total Life is a Medicare provider. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or part of Medicare or any government agency.