More Home Care Case Studies
Adventures in Eldercare - August 2011
Last month’s article was so well received that I have decided to share a few more care situations involving Victoria Eldercare. These case-studies demonstrate what a non-medical eldercare service can do in various situations. These are actual clients that we have worked with over the last year and a half.
A housebound young senior with a degenerative brain stem disorder. She is well in all respects except for her balance. Although taking many precautions in the home she still has a very high chance of falling and once fallen she is unable to get up off the ground. Her husband is an active senior.
This younger senior couple had established a very elaborate system, where the husband was always within one hour of the home and in constant contact with his wife. If she fell she would never be on the ground longer that an hour and her husband could be home to help her up. This system worked fine until he needed to go on a day trip that would have him more than three hours away and gone a minimum of 8 hours from the home. Victoria Eldercare matched a caregiver who spent the 8 hours at the home while the husband was away. Peace of mind and the day was enjoyable for both husband and wife.
An older senior with Alzheimer’s disease living alone in her own home. This lady was very lonely and was becoming depressed, but because she had a cat, she did not want to move to a retirement home. Although frustrated, her daughters were respectful of her wishes and looked to Victoria Eldercare for assistance.
The main priority was to find amongst our staff a PSW that not only would be a good match for the client but also one that really liked cats. Our caregiver came into the home every day for four hours, her duties included meal preparation, monitoring of medication and of course, feeding the cat. As our senior client was been cared for at home, our manager, Phillip Poss, was busy looking for a retirement home that our client could go to that would allow her to bring her cat. Our client has now successfully transitioned to that retirement home and has thrived in her new environment with her favourite feline friend by her side.
An eighty year old retired businessman, a widower for over a decade was living very successfully on his own in a lakeside home. His two daughters live in Toronto and Windsor. While visiting they noticed that he was losing weight quite rapidly and were concerned. Once medical tests confirmed there was no health problem it was determined that this gentlemen had simply lost interest in cooking and was not eating regular meals. The daughters contacted Victoria Eldercare for assistance.
Victoria Eldercare placed a Personal Support Worker in the home from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. During this time a large lunch was prepared together with the client, he actually began to enjoy cooking again with assistance, at the same time an evening meal was prepared and placed in the fridge for later. Our caregiver would take the client shopping for groceries as well during this time when necessary. This arrangement worked very well for many months, the client has now moved to the Windsor area to be closer to his daughter.
Dr. Bruce Veltri operates Victoria Eldercare, a non-medical home care agency matching exceptional care-givers with elderly seniors, to help them maintain independence and remain safely in their own home. Victoria Eldercare can be contacted by phone, 519-429-2644 or the web-site, www.victoriaeldercare.com
