So often, the elderly are just one injury away from losing their ability to live independently. Recently two of our caregivers were working at a local senior residence when they were approached by a social worker regarding a resident. “Mrs. L” had just completed rehabilitation, and although she would need a wheelchair, she was ready to return to her independent apartment. The problem facing Mrs. L was that she was a hoarder, and her apartment, in its current state, would not accommodate a wheelchair. With the discharge from rehabilitation looming, and an apartment that was uninhabitable, Mrs. L was feeling desperate and alone and facing the prospect of losing the independence she had known for so many years.
Our caregivers went to meet Mrs. L at her residence. She was embarrassed by the state of her apartment, but adamant about the changes she would like to make in her life. She was a breast cancer survivor, and had recently worked through a stint in rehabilitation – she was a strong person who understood that she needed to clean out her living space. The problem was that she was physically unable to do that on her own.
Our volunteers jumped into action: within a day, ALC had 7 volunteers ready to clean out Mrs. L’s apartment. There were even volunteers waiting on call in case they were needed – it was an amazing call to action. Within 3 hours the apartment was ready for move-in. Mrs. L was escorted into her clean living space with tears in her eyes.
Now that Mrs. L is back in her apartment and living independently, another ALC volunteer continues to visit Mrs. L on a weekly basis, to bring dinner and check if there is anything that she needs.
A big thank you goes out to Leila, Carl, Sandy, Gretchen, Andy, Dianna, Eric and Jacki – without the help of these volunteers Mrs. L would not have been able to return to her apartment and most-likely would have lost the independence she had fought so hard to maintain.