Meet Mary

Mary was an 82-year old widow, who had lived in the same home for over 40 years. She fell in her home as the result of a fainting spell.  When she fell, she literally shattered her ankle, requiring surgery and several weeks of hospitalization as well as intensive physiotherapy. We were brought in to assess the home, and make it as safe as possible for this lady who insisted that she wanted to stay in her home.After a thorough assessment, we made the house significantly safer for her by: 

• decluttering her principal rooms, which contained over 40 years worth of memorabilia (including magazines, newspapers, knick-knacks and a number of items which were still in their original packaging)
• repositioning and removing some of her furniture to allow for easier mobility
• removing her many scatter rugs to reduce the possibility of falls
• replacing the lighting throughout, with particular emphasis on the bathrooms and the stairwells, which had been overall very poorly lighted
• arranging for safety bars to be installed in her bathroom
• arranging for a bath seat for her bathtub
• arranging for a handyman to do various fix-up jobs around the house, including replacing wobbly doorknobs and ensuring that all doors and drawers opened smoothly so that she didn’t have to tug to open them
• rearranging her kitchen cupboards so that everyday items were more easily accessible for her, reducing the necessity for her to  climb on a stool to reach for frequently used objects and
• arranging for a personal safety alarm system so that if she had a problem, it could be dealt with quickly and the family would be made aware of the problem immediately

Our subsequent follow-ups indicated that the relatively minor changes we had made greatly relieved the concern her family had for her well-being, particularly since they did not live in the same city as the widow.

• Following her horrendous fall, Mary underwent a series of reconstructive surgery and hospitalizations.  As a result, over a period of 2 years, she became increasingly dependent on her family and was no longer comfortable living on her own.  Mary – 2 years later

Mary – 2 years later

Mary was an 82-year-old widow whose home we made safer so that she could continue to live independently after a horrific fall. She managed to stay in that home for almost two years.  Unfortunately, as a result of additional reconstructive surgery and hospitalizations, she became more frail and was unable to pursue the very active life she had before her initial fall.  As she became more frail, she was no longer comfortable living on her own, and became increasingly dependent upon her family, none of whom lived nearby.

• Working with Mary and her family, we reviewed her physical, social and environmental needs and  researched various types of accommodation that would be suitable for her and her lifestyle. Ultimately, she moved in to the home of a family member in another city, where she was able to have to a small suite to herself.

Once she and her family had decided where and when she was moving, we coordinated everything:

• arranged for and supervised the move from her large home to the much smaller facility with her family in another city
• helped with the packing and unpacking
• coordinated the disposition of many items to family and friends, and then to various charities
• arranged for appropriate termination of utilities and services

When the home was empty, we prepared it for sale, including:

• bringing in and supervising contractors and painters to refresh the house, which still had its 40-year-old décor
• removed all left-over debris
• cleaned up the yard, and
• staged several rooms in the home so that it would show well

Our client is very happy living her family, who had been encouraging her to move in with them for some time.  And the family is relieved that they did not have to continuously drive back and forth between two cities over the several months it took to get her moved and the house sold.