Case Study 4

This story is about a lady we’ll call Maybelle (not her real name), a lady in her eighties that we met at a beautiful independent living facility with gorgeo grounds and beautiful homes.

 

Miss Maybelle was living in a two-bedroom condo, which was beautifully decorated and had plenty of pictures and souvenirs of her family.

 

We received the call because Miss Maybelle had been receiving assistance from another home care agency, and she started becoming combative with them.

 

They did not know how to handle her, and it seemed that she was developing memory problems. The existing caregivers were not really prepared or equipped for this.

 

So we met with the family, and we agreed that we would start providing assistance. One of the main areas of difficulty was at sunset, which some people call Sundowner Syndrome. At Cura, we don't subscribe to that diagnosis; we think there are things that can be done in the environment to make people experiencing memory loss have a better understanding of sunset and the clock.

 

So we worked with her doctor to reset her circadian rhythm. We also adjusted the lighting so she could have bright white lights in the morning, and in the evening we would provide amber lighting, which would make it easier for her to see and to understand that it was the end of the day.

 

We also arranged for her to have a routine. So a couple days a week, she would have a spa treatment, which meant getting a nice shower and doing her nails and hair as a treat.

 

As things progressed, her memory got a bit worse, and we started to provide care on a daily basis. The routine continued to help her, preparing her for what was coming next.

 

She became very attached to two of our caregivers who were there with her on a regular basis. As her situation developed, she was transferred to an assisted living facility where she did not have all the accommodations from her lovely home, yet she didn’t seem to notice a difference once she settled in. It was a little bit unnerving for her, but she adjusted well.

 

The family decided that with the additional care at the assisted living facility, they did not need our caregivers there on a daily basis. So we stopped service altogether at their request. Within a month or so, they called and asked us to start coming again because she was very unsettled.

 

We started coming in again, reestablished her routine, and she adjusted well. She was happy living in the assisted living facility with us visiting 3 or 4 days a week.

 

As things developed, she was transferred into the end of life facility, where her physical ability slowed down and her mental acuity also suffered. Again, the family decided that she was receiving sufficient help in that unit, and that they did not need to provide personal care with our caregivers. Well, that decision was also short lived as within a month, they asked us to please come back.

 

So we came back to keep her company, assist her up and out when we could, made sure she was eating and that she was comfortable while she was receiving hospice care.

 

We spent time with her pretty much till the end, accommodating her needs and making sure she was happy, assuring that the quality of life she was living was as best that could be secured.