This blog is about the importance of having a strong advocate and working with a supportive team.
It seems every decade or so I am presented with a wonderful opportunity.
I am leading a team that will bring Salli home. Home is her childhood family home where she has always lived until her involuntary admission into hospital last summer, due to a psychotic episode. Salli also has dementia.
When she was ready to be discharged, her relatives were concerned about her health, welfare and safety. Not having a spouse or children, her extended family felt it would be safer for her to reside on a secure floor in a retirement facility. Salli was and continues to be lucky. As this was a guardianship situation, Salli was assigned Section 3 counsel. Her counsel listened and heard her state unequivocally that she wanted to return to live in her own home.
I was hired to complete a Functional Living Assessment which outlined a Plan of Care and related costing scenarios to do just that- bring her home and ensure her wellbeing and safety. The Guardianship plan was approved by the court.
As we know, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, well it takes a team,’ the circle of care team’, to support a senior returning to their own home. In this case it took the Section 3 counsel, the Guardians (family and PGT), and the caregiving team ( her physician, the homecare agency including Personal Support Workers and supervisors) to design, support and implement this move.
Tomorrow (at time of writing of this blog) is the big day. I may be only slightly less excited than Salli is herself about this return to her home. She is returning home with 24 hour live in care with caregivers she knows and trusts. This arrangement may not be forever, but what is?
As the warm weather is finally here, I know that I will be able to visit Salli in her backyard. She will be enjoying the very same things that you and I enjoy- living life the way we want and gardening!
PS. In 30 years of practice, I can count on 1 hand, the number of older individuals I know who have been able to return to their family home after long term placement in a retirement or long term care facility.
