Case
Studies Senior Living:
Six years ago Debbie, became concerned about her mom and dad. Her mom was losing her balance and had fallen several times. Her dad was showing signs of Dementia. Debbie lived in Dallas and her brother lived in Seattle. They could not assist in either of their well being. The decision to bring them to Dallas was an easy one. Once here, she did not have a clue as to how or where to find a quality assisted living facility. Spending hours doing her home-work while working and taking care of her children. She went to a few and they were horrible. The dilemma was finding somewhere that would suffice parents also. We researched and gave her a list with four places that matched their needs. She contacted, visited, and interviewed each property. Pleased with the proper residence for her parents Debbie was relieved. There was plenty of sunlight with a patio, backyard with a garden, and quality food.
At 98, Johns great uncle was still living at home alone and planning to stay there until his last breath. After all, he had lived there with his wife for over 60 years, and they built the house with their own two hands. They tried their hardest to keep him home as long as possible and really never expected to have to move him into any assisted living situation. When it was apparent to everyone the time had come to move him for his own safety, they truly had no idea which way to turn. His only family could not move him in with them since everyone had full time jobs and the home was too small to accommodate him. We were able to find an assisted living property that met their uncles needs. This saved the family a lot of time and frustrations.
Jill's mother was just about to be released from the hospital after breaking her hip. They knew that it would be almost impossible for her to return to the assisted living facility that she was currently living. A care facility was needed to give her kind, compassionate and competent care immediately. Quite a bit of research went into placing their mom in an assisted living facility. The perfect place was found but a room was not available and the cost was above budget. We advised them to research VA benefits since the mom was a veterans widow. While obtaining benefits, a room became available and monetarily they were able to move.
Our Personal Case Study:
My
mother in law started having problems with Dementia a few years ago.
Mom was only 63 years old. Until this point, she was walking five miles a day, active in church and loved being with her friends (we should all have friends like my mom's) We lived in a different city and depended on input from those that knew her. Her friends noticed she was getting lost on trips she made weekly. My mom denied everything of course and was stubborn in accepting help. After much thought, we decided to move Mom closer to
us. We decided to move her into a retirement facility thinking this was a start.
This is where our learning curve began. Fast forward one year - other problems developed quickly she started
hallucinating and losing her balance. We were lost, overwhelmed, and truly had no idea what was happening or what to do next. Mom was eventually diagnosed correctly with Lewey Body, a disease that presents worst parts of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s together.
The assisted living facility we found had two floors. First floor was for those that needed day-to-day assistance and the second floor was for “memory care”. The first floor was not enough for her in less than a few months she was moved to “memory care” level just for more 'attention.'We watched someone that was full of life slip away.
Our story is much like many others unfortunately. Our mission is to help those in need and their loved ones while going through this learning curve phase.
My parents - (2009) Dad lived in another town and was misdiagnosed with
Parkinson's disease. Trying to make sure he was given the proper care, we got a second opinion. The doctor in Dallas told us he has PSP which is a form of palsy. Soon thereafter, we moved Mom and Dad to Dallas. Their first move was to an apartment facility for less than two months. This was a mistake, but a needed one to prove to everyone where we needed to be (Dad fell twice).The next move was to an assisted living facility. Mom and Dad (and their Chihuahua Sandy) are now being cared for and we can sleep at night.
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