Case Study 3

Miss Korie (not her real name) is a lovely lady in her nineties, and we met her at a large residential facility where she just fell in love with one of our care partners who was assisting her neighbor.

 

Miss Korie asked us if we would be able to have our caregiver visit with her a couple days a week. We made arrangements to provide some companionship care for her as well as set up some outings for her and her neighbor to enjoy together with our care partner (AKA Shared Care).

​

As time passed, Miss Korie enjoyed our visits so much that she got us to help develop a schedule that would allow her to spend certain days with her son, and on days when her family were busy, she would enjoy the company of our caregivers. 

​

She liked having a variety of care partners because it provided an opportunity for her to meet and share her stories with different people. She loved hearing their stories, too: long-time Nashville natives would share stories about Nashville, and the ones who were relocated to Nashville would share stories about what it was like to move to Nashville. 

​

When she moved into a new assisted living facility, we kept the arrangement going for a third year, coming and spending time with her at the assisted living facility.

​

Eventually, the routine was that we would help her with her meals, help her with her bathing, and assist her around the two-bedroom apartment. Her children became increasingly dependent on us because we were able to do all the personal care and home care that Miss Korie needed. This gave them a lot of flexibility in their lives so that they could continue to work and dedicate themselves to their families.

 

As things progressed, Miss Korie moved into the nursing home part of the facility, and she kept her friendships. She continued to enjoy having two or three dedicated care partners because it provided a lot of conversation and outings.

 

It got to the point where she would like us to put her in a wheelchair and take her around the large, beautiful facility, at times stopping at the snack bar, grabbing something to eat, or looking at the greeting cards or visiting the facility library, all these adding to her quality of life.

 

As it played out, Miss Korie enjoyed having us there for companionship and for personal care and for backup systems to give her family a break when they needed it. And we continued with the two or three or even four days a week, and she enjoyed the company. We continued to be her friends, and we all loved it.

​​

Anyway, this is a nice story of providing companionship and friendship to an individual as she aged. We have enjoyed serving her for over five years, and she still enjoys us being there. So, although home care sometimes ends with a bit of a tragedy, at other times it just allows us to provide companionship and care and personal assistance in a way that is appreciated and contributes to an excellent quality of life.